Codename: Mercury
by SailorStar9
Summary: After getting the anime version out, this is bound to happen. So, here's the live-action version of 'Codename: Athena'. No Sailor Senshi in this version, just the Planetary Guardians from my 'Bonded' fic. Pairings remain the same.
1. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode One

SailorStar9: After getting the anime version out, this is _bound_ to happen. So, here's the live-action version of 'Codename: Athena'. No Sailor Senshi in this version, just the Planetary Guardians from my 'Bonded' fic. Pairings remain the same. So, read and review.

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the pairing.

Chapter 1: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode One

* * *

The scene opens with Okada Ritsuko hurrying off to the underground library of her school. Going through the shelves, she finally found the book she was looking for and she tore open the back cover.

"Found it." she grinned, pulling out the hidden CD.

Keeping the CD, she was shocked to hear footsteps in the supposedly abandoned library. Replacing the book, she paced out of the bookshelf, constantly looking behind her for the intruder. After going through the rows of bookshelves, she proceeded to head back to the surface, only to find the person who was stalking her behind her. In a frantic, she scrambled to get out, tripping over her feet in the process.

"No!" she screamed in fear as the stalker closed in on her, unable able to move due to a sprained ankle.

That night, lightning crackled across the sky, the unfortunate girl being killed by the unnamed stalker, her blood spluttering across the wall, the building's key and a notebook beside the corpse.

* * *

The next day...

Kyu was browsing through a book store when his hand phone rang.

"There's a blond woman with black sunglasses in front of the Akihabara Manseri Bridge." he read the message. "Follow her and secure some evidence. Eh? Right now?" he exclaimed.

"My name is Kyu." he started the introduction, after paying for his books and taking off hurriedly. "I'm part of the 'Q Class in Dan Detective School, established by the famous Dan Morihiko. This is a special class established to gather the candidates for the future successor of Dan Morihiko. Only one successor will be chosen, so in a way, the members of 'Q Class' are rivals, but for me, they're important friends. Sometimes, the lessons would start without warning, just like today. But this is also quite thrilling, you know?"

"Ah" he shouted, almost crashing into Kinta. "Kinta!"

"Kyu!" Kinta looked at the boy.

"Is this training, or is it the real thing?" Kyu inquired.

"Are you scared?" Kinta joked.

"That's not it!" Kyu protested.

"Don't force yourself." Kinta chided. "Just hide behind me or something." and the two took off to their destination.

"Alright." Kinta remarked, he and Kyu hiding behind a wall. "Looks like the others aren't here yet."

"Hey, Deko Boko, you stand out too much." Megu stated.

"Stupid, hide!" Kinta pulled her over.

"The two of you are more suspicious." Megu remarked, licking her ice lolly.

"Megu, what's up with that outfit?" Kyu gestured to her maid uniform.

"I'm helping at my onee-chan's shop." Megu replied. "There're a lot of customers who favors me."

"Shop?" Kyu echoed. "Like a Maid Cafe?"

"Hm?" Megu wondered. "Kyu, you like things like this?"

"Eh?" Kyu stammered. "Of course not."

"What are you flustering for, stupid?" Kinta wracked his head with the plastic fan. "Megu, stop enjoying your ice drop and. Hurry up and look already."

"It doesn't really matter." Megu shrugged. "But she's leaving."

"Ah." the two boys gasped and hurried off after their target, with Megu in tow.

* * *

In his transport...

Kazuma was using the city's security cameras to keep track of the target.

"Analog." he muttered, the trio were captured on screen.

* * *

In front of a departmental store...

"Alright, I'll go through the back." Kinta replied, the three hiding behind a wall as their target rode the escalator.

"Okay." the three split up.

Ryu arrived at the departmental store just as Kyu and Megu took the escalator.

* * *

In the departmental store...

Kyu and Megu arrived on the second floor to find their target was nowhere in sight.

"Huh?" Kyu blinked. "She's not here."

"Ah, sorry." Kinta apologized to a shopper he bumped into when he entered from the fire escape.

"Kinta." Kyu went over to the elder teen as Megu scanned the shoppers, her photographic memory enabling her to recognize the shopper at the counter had the same type of nail decorations as their target.

"Kinta." Kyu picked up the wig the target dropped. "Disguise, it was a disguise."

"It was a scheme?" Kinta exclaimed. "Oh no, I can't remember anything except the fact that she was blond. Ah, where's Megu?"

"Photographic memory!" Kyu realized.

"Ah!" Kinta exclaimed and the two took off after Megu.

* * *

In the streets...

Megu was trailing their target.

"Whoa, I won!" she looked at her ice lolly stick.

Pinning herself against the tree, she peered at her target who had then disappeared into a corner and Megu took off.

Turning into the alley, she looked around to find her target was gone and she walked along the road. A sound caused her to turn around, hands poised to attack, before letting her guard down when she saw no one was behind her. Turning back, she was then assaulted by her intended target, the woman pressing a nitrite oxide gas mask onto her nose, forcing her to inhale the gas.

"Funny." Megu stumbled out of the alley.

* * *

In his transport...

"Hmm?" Kazuma blinked, the camera showing that the target was moving towards his vehicle. "Ah!" he exclaimed when the woman placed a disruptor on the back of his car, the images on his laptop fizzling out.

* * *

In the streets...

Ryu stepped into the streets, having trailed the woman after receiving a challenge via SMS from the last member of Q Class which read: _Kazuma's taken out. Race you to the finish!_. With a smirk, he took out a ball of trace marker and threw it on the road to let the others know where he was heading.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Megu!" Kinta and Kyu found the giggling girl.

"She inhaled some laughing gas." Kyu reasoned.

"My winning popsicle stick was stolen." Megu replied.

"Are you laughing ? Or are you angry?" Kinta wondered. "Which is it?"

"Look!" Kyu noticed the paint mark Ryu left behind.

"Hey!" Kinta pulled Megu along. "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

"It's a pursuit marker!" Kyu realized.

"Hm?" Megu muttered. Kinta clapped his hands to snap Megu awake and the three took off.

"This way!" Kyu turned.

"Kazuma!" Kinta called. "What?" he joked, running up to the dejected boy. "She got you too?"

"Getting me with something this elemental..." Kazuma sighed. "I'm starting to hate myself." he tossed the disruptor away.

"Stupid, you're giving up too early." Kinta chided. "Come on."

"Kinta." Kyu and Megu came back. "Oh Kazuma, this way, this way. Hurry."

"Ah, let's go." Kinta gestured. "Come on."

* * *

On a building's rooftop...

The woman arrived to her destination and hurried to the garbage chute.

Hidden behind the shed, Ryu snapped a picture.

"Ryu, the pursuit marker helped a lot." Kyu whispered, the rest hurrying in.

"It's nothing special." Ryu replied. "I just applied what I learned in class."

The woman then threw open the chute, only to find the suitcase she was looking for missing.

"And the woman?" Kinta asked.

"Looking for this?" Ami's question answered Kinta's inquiry.

Everyone ran to the front of the shed, the last member of Q Class tossing the suitcase to the ground.

"The money in the suitcase..." Kyu blinked as the case flew open. "Amazing, Ami."

"Really, not only are your disguises getting weirder, they're also getting creepier." Ami remarked. "Nanami-sensei." she smirked.

"EH?" the rest echoed.

"Just as expected from the most experienced one of the lot." Nanami-sensei laughed and pulled off his disguise.

"It's times like this I always ask, what did I do in a past life to deserve this?" Ami muttered.

"Sheesh, that's harsh." Nanami-sensei complained. "And you guys call yourselves candidates for the future successor of Principal Dan? You didn't properly execute the techniques of trailing that I've taught in class."

"Overlooking the special trait of the criminal?" he looked at Kyu.

"Letting your guard down and becoming a dead avenger?" he turned to Megu.

"Trusting too much in your own ability?" this was directed as Kazuma. "The only ones who calmly evaluated the situation and took the best action were Amakusa and Mizuno. Sheesh. What's wrong?" he looked at the silent group. "Ah!" he gushed. "Are you that surprised with my disguise technique? When you do things, you have to be completely thorough. For example, just like this?" he flashed his butt. "Wow!"

"Um, being proud of that pathetic outfit..." Kyu started.

"Or should I say, that's just being a pervert." Kazuma added, the group approaching Nanami-sensei.

"Give me back my winning popsicle stick." Megu demanded.

"I _really_ shouldn't have gotten out of bed today." Ami sighed as Kinta fanned their sensei's butt with his fan just as Nanami-sensei's cellphone rang.

"Yes? It's Nanami." Nanami-sensei answered the call. "Dan-sensei!" he gasped, causing the teens to stand at attention. "Eh?" he blinked. "The members of Q Class? I understand. Go here immediately." he headed a poster to Ami.

"Huh?" Kinta blinked at the 'Loop, Dart and Amusement Bar' poster.

* * *

In the bar...

"Ah..." Megu gushed as the group entered the bar, with Ami in the lead, poster in hand.

"What's this?" Kazuma blinked.

"Eh?" Kyu was next

"Wait." Kinta started. "Oh? Eh? Here?"

"It's the left door at the end." the waitress informed the group. "Please press the emergency button."

"This is it." Kyu led the group to the side door as Ryu pressed the red button, enabling Kyu to open the door. "Whoa!" he blinked, entering the underground room. "Eh?"

"Wow!" the more verbal of the group gaped as Ami flipped the lights on.

"Ah..." Kyu gashed.

"Amazing." Megu agreed, the group splitting up to explore the place.

"So, this is the Dan Detective Office's Mission Room?" Kyu took a seat at the table in the center of the room.

"Amazing." Megu sat on the sofa. "If I ran away from home, I'd be staying here."

Ami, however, was led to the book shelf by instinct, her hand resting on one of the reference books as she unwittingly invoked her psychopathy, every single bit of the room's history flooded her mind, her head reeling from the sudden rush of images.

"You okay?" Ryu managed to stabilize her before she stumbled.

"Yeah." Ami replied, rubbing her temples to ease her throbbing head. "Head rush."

"I can see that." Ryu remarked amusedly.

"Funny." Ami muttered.

"Everyone!" Kazuma alerted the group, having found the mission disc on the table. Kyu closed the blinds as the screen rolled down, the disc having been placed into the disc player.

"Members of Q Class." Dan-sensei came on screen, the group standing at attention. "How do you do? The room that you're in now is a room that I've used as my office when I was just a novice. In short, it's my starting point. From now on, think of it as your classroom. The reason I've offered this room for you is none other than for you to investigate a certain case."

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"1 week ago," Dan-sensei continued, showing the group a picture of a building. "A high schoolgirl's body was found in the building in Akihabara. The victim's name is Okada Ritsuko, a 3rd year student in Koureijou High School. The cause of death is loss of blood due to stabbing. The police is investigating it as a murder case, but they've reached a dead end. This is because the key has been left inside the room where the murder took place. And so, it's a completely sealed room. After receiving a request from the police to help out with the investigation, I've boldly decided to dispatch you all. Utilizing each of your own abilities, I would like you to solve this case. I pray for your success." with that, he ended the video.

"Murder in a sealed room." Kyu echoed.

* * *

Later...

"Investigate, investigate." Kinta echoed, the group arriving at the building where the body was found and the group entered the building via a hole in the wall.

"What are you being scared of, you weirdo?" Megu chided, Kyu having stopped in his tracks upon shining his touch light on a masquerade.

* * *

Upon entering the room...

"On the day of the crime, the entrance door was locked from the inside and the door leading to this room was also closed." Ryu started, the chalked outline of the body clearly drawn on the floor.

"A doubly locked room." Ami summarized.

"Moreover, the key to the room was beside the victim." Kazuma added.

"But who was in charge of the key to this room?" Kinta inquired.

"The real estate manager managing this building." Kazuma replied. "Seems like it was stolen from there."

"If you make a copy of that key, it's no longer a sealed room." Kinta reasoned.

"Thing is, you can't make a copy of the key without an ID card." Ami pointed out. "It's a special type of key."

"Who is that?" Megu whispered, the group suddenly on alert when they heard a click behind them.

"They say that a criminal always return to the scene of the crime, right?" Kyu surmised.

"What? What?" Kinta blinked as the younger teens pushed him forward.

"You're useful during times like this, right?" Megu reasoned. "If you die, I'll pick up your bones properly."

"Don't kill me off just like that." Kinta protested.

"Children." Ami shook her head. Taking her place by the door and pretty much ignoring the looks everyone else was giving her, she slid her hand into her thigh as the footsteps drew nearer, revealing a stiletto dagger. Grabbing the intruder by his wrist, she flung him over her shoulder effortlessly, a knee to the intruder's throat as she poised her knife beside his neck.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!" the inspector winced. "Who are you?"

"That should be _my_ question." Ami retorted. "Who in the world are you?"

"Detective Moroboshi!" the detective stammered, showing his badge.

"Detective?" Ami echoed, releasing her hold on the older man.

"Detective?" Kyu blinked, the rest of the group having hid behind a stack of crates.

"I'm getting too old of this." Ami muttered, letting the detective up.

* * *

At the police station...

"In short, after receiving a request from the police to help with the investigation, and in order to investigate the crime scene, you went in there?" Moroboshi summarized. "Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's correct." Kyu answered for the group.

"I see." Moroboshi noted. "Do you think I'd believe that? There's no way we would ask for help from such brats like you guys."

"This is going to be one _long_ night." Ami muttered.

"Ah well, the orders from someone higher, higher..." Kyu gestured.

"Give it up already." Kinta chided. "These guys only judge people by their appearance. Just because they have a badge, these guys will never listen."

"Hey you, are you trying to pick a fight?" Moroboshi demanded.

"That's fine with me." Kinta accepted the challenge. "Come at me. Don't think I'll back down!"

"Kinta..." Ami growled a warning, everyone else suddenly shivering at the sudden drop in temperature.

"Ah, such a kid." Megu sighed.

"Moroboshi-san." Nekoda entered the room.

"Ah!" Megu gasped.

"What?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Ah, um, the truth is..." Nekoda replied and whispered into his superior's ear.

"What?" Moroboshi exclaimed. "A notification from the police to support you people." he told the teens.

"See?" Kinta remarked, amidst the relieved sighs of the younger teens. "If you understand the situation, hurry and show us the investigation data."

"No." it was here where Moroboshi drew the line. "If you want to investigate, do it yourselves."

"I _so_ expected that." Ami muttered.

"And..." Kyu prodded. "Now what? Alright!" he whooped. "Let's combine our powers and solve this case!"

"I need my caffeine." Ami muttered, getting up.

"Give me a break." Ryu remarked, following suit.

"I can't stand this anymore." Megu added.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked as the group proceeded to leave. "Everyone, why? Why won't we investigate together?"

"Kyu." Kazuma started.

"Yeah?" Kyu blinked.

"We're in the middle of a competition." Kazuma reminded.

"It's because there's only one successor of Dan-sensei, isn't it?" Kyu knew what he was getting at.

"Q Class isn't a friendship group, we're rivals." Kazuma added.

"If you're not confident enough, then why don't you stay in the room." Kinta asked.

"Hey, everyone, we're rivals, but we're friends, right?" Kyu called.

"Kyu, to be honest," Megu poked her head in. "You're annoying."

"Fine, if you're going that far, I'll do it myself." Kyu retorted. "Even I... I can do things properly when I need to. Yeah..."

"What's the betting he'll end up chickening out?" Ami snickered.

"I'm not taking that bet." Ryu replied, already knowing where this would lead to.

"Spoilsport." Ami stuck out her tongue out. "Guys?" she turned to the other three.

"Two to one!" the rest of the group chorused and laughed.

* * *

The next day...

"Hey, yesterday, didn't you say you were gonna investigate on your own?" Megu reminded, when truth to Ami's prediction, Kyu had ended up chickening out on his promise and had followed her to the school.

"I thought you'd be lonely if you investigated on your own." Kyu replied.

"Aren't you the one who's scared?" Megu joked.

"We're only junior high students." Kyu reminded as they entered the school hall. "If they find out, we'll be in trouble."

"If you don't want to, then go home." Megu retorted. "The victim's a high school student, so the best way to gather information is to ask classmates."

"I know, but..." Kyu noted, before noticing Megu was missing.

"I wanted to wear this uniform, just once." Megu admired herself in the standing mirror.

"Do you really want to do this?" Kyu wondered.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Good morning." the storekeeper greeted.

"You're the same as usual, huh?" Kinta remarked.

"Hey Boss, the things you've ordered have arrived!" the store assistant hollered.

"Alright, I'll come get it later." Kinta replied.

"Okay." the delivery boy nodded. "Ah, Kinta-san, it's been awhile."

"How are you?" Kinta asked.

"I've been terrible, Kinta-san." the assistant replied.

"Yeah, I got it, I got it." Kinta replied, heading upstairs.

"As usual, plenty of free time, huh?" he inquired.

"Because of that, I can do what I want." Haruka replied. "Call it elegance." She then looked at the paper bag he handed to her. "I've been looking for this." she pulled out the plastic model.

"The data?" Kinta prodded. Gushing over the newest addition, she passed the envelope over.

"Seems that this case is unusually deep-rooted." Haruka noted.

"Huh?" Kinta blinked.

* * *

In Koureijou High School...

"The group that the late Okada Ritsuko belonged to..." Megu noted, the pair stopping before the 'Art and Literature Club, Mystery Research Club, Occult Research Club, Literature Research Club' room. "Excuse me! Um who here personally knows Okada Ritsuko-san?"

"So blunt..." Kyu muttered.

"Who are you?" one of the club members stopped his pen.

"Newly transferred 1st year students." Megu replied.

"Why would some newly transferred students be sniffing around Okada?" the club member questioned.

"Well, it's..." she pulled Kyu forward.

"Uh no, well..." Kyu stammered. "We were thinking of joining the 'Art and Literature Club, but while researching it through some classmates, a member of the club was killed one week ago, right? Plus, it was a sealed room murder. So as mystery lovers, naturally, we became interested."

"It's useless to investigate because Okada was cursed." the club members told them.

"Cursed?" Kyu echoed.

"Yeah." the club member replied. "By Nishimura Shizuka's ghost."

"Ghost?" Megu echoed, Kyu silenced her with a raised hand.

"Ah, who is it?" Kyu asked. "Nishimura Shizuka?"

"A member of the 'Art and Literature Club'." Yoshimura replied, flinging the covers off herself a she sat up from the sofa. "She died one month ago."

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Nishimura Shizuka's body was found at the school's emergency staircase." Haruka stated. "The police classified it as an accident from falling but due to this recent incident, the possibility of that it's not has come up."

"What do you mean?" Kinta asked.

"At the scene of the crime where Okada Ritsuko was killed, the notebook of Nishimura Shizuka was found." Haruka replied. "The problem lies in its content."

"Just hurry and spit it out." Kinta pressed. "What was inside?"

"The ghost of the girl whose murder was feigned as an accident, will be taking revenge, one after the other, on her friends, who were her true murderers." Haruka replied. "The way she died is similar to this current incident."

"Are you serious?" Kinta muttered.

"In short, in this case..." Haruka added.

* * *

In Koureijou High School...

"The curse of the late Shizuka..." Yoshimura trailed.

"Those two look dangerous." Megu whispered.

"That story seems to have a sequel." Yoshimura added.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"According to the police, two more will be killed." Yoshimura supplied. "Members of the same 'Art and Literature Club'."

"And those two are..." Megu prodded.

"Even if two are interested in Occult, this is way too awful." the two mentioned club' members burst in.

"We're just telling them the truth." Yoshimura shrugged.

"Then that's saying that Ritsuko killed Shizuka." Madoka protested.

"Sasaki Madoka." the male club member looked at her. "Why are you being nervous?"

"Or are you remembering something?" Yoshimura pressed.

"You..." Madoka tried to slap her, only to have her hand forced into a standstill.

"What are you guys doing?" Yoneyama-sensei interrupted the fight, "Yoshimura-san, did something happen? And you two?" she asked after the two walked out.

"Eh?" Megu blinked. "We're 1st year students interested in joining the club. Are you the teacher-in-charge?"

"Yes, that's right." Yoneyama-sensei nodded.

"Um what did they mean when they said that Okada Ritsuko was killed by the curse of Nishimura Shizuka?" Megu asked.

"Eh?" Yoneyama-sensei blinked

"Did any kind of trouble occur inside the 'Art and Literature Club'?" Megu pressed.

"Why did you ask?" Yoneyama-sensei inquired.

"Pure curiosity." Megu replied.

"I'm only a teacher-in-charge by name." Yoneyama-sensei replied. "I've made it a rule not to interfere into my students' private life. Plus... a curse?"

"Please, wait a minute." Kyu stopped her. "Before we join the club, we'd like to know more about what's going on inside. That way it's easier for us to conduct ourselves here. We promise to keep it a secret from our senpais. So, please tell us what happened. Please!" he bowed.

* * *

On the dirt path...

"The girl, Nishimura Shizuka, was the winner of this year's Novice Mystery Novel Writing Competition, a genius at writing." Yoneyama-sensei supplied.

_

* * *

Flashback_

"_I have written the plot myself." Shizuka informed the press."_

* * *

"She's been praised as a 'young, charismatic mystery writer', and requests for her second novel flooded over." Yoneyama-sensei added. "But she has quite an arrogant personality. Within the 'Art and Literature Club', she always acted like the queen snob. Moreover, Okada-san and the others were used for researching for topics or data."

"So that means those 3 had a motive to kill Nishimura-san?" Kyu mused.

"Don't say something so stupid." Yoneyama-sensei scoffed. "Killing someone because of that. Plus, I may just be thinking too much. It's not like those girls asked for my advice."

"Is that how you've always feigned ignorance?" Megu retorted.

"Eh?" Yoneyama-sensei blinked.

"All school teachers are like that." Megu replied. "In order to protect their own reputation, they'll permit anything convenient. They'll even trample on their students' hearts. Students never protected by their teacher, you've never even thought of their feelings, have you?"

"Ah, wait.." Kyu blinked as Megu stormed off. "I'm sorry." he apologized to the teacher and took off after the fuming girl. "Megu!"

"What's wrong?" he caught up with her.

"That teacher is too irresponsible." Megu replied. "I just wanted to be a little mean to her. That's all. With that aside, I have to get a copy of Nishimura Shizuka's notebook."

* * *

At the police station...

"Nekoda-san." Megu sang, stepping out of the tree she was hiding behind when she saw the detective run out of the station. "I was shocked. I had no idea that a regular customer at my onee-chan's shop would be a detective."

"An unexpected meeting, wasn't it?" Nekoda remarked.

"You're always staring at me, aren't you?" Megu pressed.

"I duuno." Nekoda replied.

"Hey." Megu started. "I have a favor to ask from you, Nekoda-san."

"A favor?" Nekoda echoed

Megu nodded and whispered into his ear.

"That's too much." Nekoda protested. "If I do that, I'll be killed by Moroboshi-san."

"Is that so?" Megu wondered. "Then you don't want... my..." she revealed a picture of her in her maid's outfit.

"Ah... that's Megu-tan's..." Nekoda gushed. "I'll do it!" he took the photo. "Allow me to do it!"

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Hey Megu." Kyu looked at the girl as he and Kazuma browsed through the notes Megu brought back. "This is amazing. Where'd you get it?"

"Hm?" Megu raised a brow from her sundae. "ESP."

"You're making a fool out of me." Kyu stated. "Aren't you? ESP?"

"The place where the victim was found, and the circumstances of her death, are exactly the same as that novel." Megu cut in. "It says that the next person who'll be murdered will be cut in half exactly. Completely tragic."

"Then the most probable targets are..." Kyu mused.

"Sasaki Madoka and Oomori Kyoko, right?" Megu finished his thought.

"Then tonight, let's do a stakeout!" Kyu suggested.

"I'll pass." Megu replied.

"Me too." Kazuma agreed. "Your way of thinking is analog, Kyu."

"What?" Kyu looked at the computer genius. "Are you saying that if you input some data into a computer, it'll tell you who the criminal is?"

"We might be dealing with a ghost, you know?" Kazuma reminded. "We'll just arrest them using the occult. Okay."

"What's this?" Kyu asked when Kazuma pulled out a mystic circle.

"It's called runes." Kazuma replied. "It's part of the Norse mythology. It's a magical oracle introduced by Odin. Just watch, I'll communicate with Nishimura Shizuka's spirit and reveal the truth!" that said, he tossed down the pebbles. "Ah, this is the Holy Spirit of Darkness, Nauthiz, which means suffering." he picked up a pebble.

"He has a serious look in his eyes though." Kyu noted.

"If he doesn't go digital, we'll just have to do it ourselves." Megu concluded.

"This combination!" Kazuma gasped. "What was it?"

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Excuse me." Kinta voiced.

"Who are you?" Shizuka's father asked.

"I'm Touyama Kintarou." Kinta replied. "I would like to ask a few questions regarding the late Nishimura Shizuka.

* * *

Back at the building...

Ryu had returned the the crime scene.

"I've been wondering when you'll show up." Ami cut off his musing, causing Ryu to blink at her. "Guess you missed the 'Never return to the crime scene without backup.' memo." she grinned playfully at the Lone Wolf of the group.

"Whatever." Ryu muttered. "On the day of the crime, the door leading outside is also closed and locked." he spoke into the tape recorder. "There's an approximate 10 cm opening by the entrance. The room is pretty hot." he opened the door and entered with his impromptu partner. I'm guessing the temperature is above 40 degrees."

"46.3 degrees." Ami corrected. "Believe me, I've checked."

Looking around, Ryu accidentally dropped the container where he had his pursuit marks in.

"What the..." Ami blinked as the balls rolled into the next room.

"Could this arrangement be..." Ryu mused and he knelt down to take a closer look. "So that's how it is, huh?"

A flash of metal coming from his partner alerted him and Ryu turned to see Ami had pulled out her stiletto knife in a reverse grip as the security-guard-disguised Cerberus stepped into the room. In a flash, Ami attacked, forcing Cerberus to drop the chloroform cloth he had in his hand. His hand nicked, Cerberus managed to deliver a punch into Ami's gut, knocking her unconscious. "Ryu-sama." he greeted the teen who had managed to catch Ami before she fell to the ground and was currently glaring at him. "Please." he gestured.

* * *

On the streets...

"How was it?" Moroboshi asked when Nekoda returned to the car.

"It looks like she's really scared.

"I think we'll be able to solve the crime quickly if we investigate together, but no one has replied yet." Kyu mused on the other side of the street.

"I found you, Kyu." Megu declared in her kimono. "Ta-da! Cute?"

"What's with your outfit?" Kyu blinked.

"It's not cute?" Megu deathpanned.

"No, it's cute." Kyu corrected. "Super cute. But why are you wearing a yukata?"

"Eh? Just to cool myself down." Megu replied. "I was worried that you might be lonely."

"No, not really." Kyu replied. "It's not like I came here to have fun."

"Hey, do you think the victim will seriously be cut in half?" Megu asked as the two sat on the staircase.

"No matter what the reason is, I don't want to believe that a person can be that brutal." Kyu replied.

* * *

In Madoka's room...

Madoka panicked when she saw the Nishimura Shizuka on the caller ID of her cellphone.

* * *

On the streets...

"Detective!" Madoka's mother exclaimed frantically. "Madoka... Madoka's gone!"

"What?" Moroboshi gasped.

"Megu." Kyu started, awaking the dozing Megu up.

"Go check the room with her." Moroboshi instructed.

"Okay." Nekoda replied. "Please come with me." he led Madoka's mother off.

"Detective!" Kyu and Megu hurried over.

"You guys again?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Did something happen?" Kyu asked.

"Sasaki Madoka has disappeared from home." Moroboshi replied.

"Eh?" Kyu echoed. "Let's contact the others."

"Yeah." Megu nodded and pulled out her cellphone.

"Sensei!" Kyu blinked as Yoneyama-sensei hurried off the cab.

"Why are you guys here?" Yoneyama-sensei asked.

"We'll explain later." Kyu replied. "Is something wrong?

"Sasaki-san phoned a awhile ago, crying and asking for help." Yoneyama-sensei replied.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"Detective." Yoneyama-sensei handed her ringing cellphone to Moroboshi.

"Hello, this is the police." Moroboshi took the call. "Where are you right now? Where are you?"

"The room where Ritsuko was killed." Madoka replied. "Hurry and save us!"

"Where are the girls?" Yoneyama-sensei pressed "Are they safe?"

"The building where Okada Ritsuko's body was found." Moroboshi replied. "What happened?"

"Seems like she left through the back door." Nekoda reported.

"Alright, let's go back to Akihabara." Moroboshi instructed.

"I'm going with you too." Yoneyama-sensei insisted.

"Kyu, what are you doing?" Megu pulled the musing boy along. "Let's go with them."

"Ah, yeah." Kyu nodded.

* * *

In the room...

"This is the police!" Moroboshi burst in. "Is someone here?"

"Moroboshi-san..." Nekoda added, the two detectives having shone their touch-lights in the room to reveal Madoka's body sawn into half.

"It's me." Moroboshi reported back to headquarters after finding the lower half of the body. "We found another body regarding the current case. Please hurry and send someone over."

Unable to take it anymore, Megu stumbled out. "NO!" she let out a horrified scream as the images of death flashed past her mind.

"Megu, what' s wrong?" Kyu hurried over to the ventilating girl. "Hey, Megu."

"Take her outside, hurry." Yoneyama-sensei urged.

"Okay." Kyu nodded and the two helped Megu up.

"Whoa!" Both detectives gasped as an explosion was heard. "What was that?"

"I don't know." Nekoda replied.

"Hurry." Yoneyama-sensei pressed.

* * *

Outside...

"What happened here?" Moroboshi blinked as the police car was brimming in smoke.

"Moroboshi-san, it's probably the work of the murderer." Nekoda mused.

"If that's the case, then the murderer's still around." Moroboshi noted. "Investigate around here." "I'll track back from the crime scene."

"Okay." Nekoda took off.

"It's okay, it's okay." Yoneyama-sensei soothed the frightened girl.

"Hello?" Moroboshi answered the call. "What? I got it. We'll do a search immediately."

"What's wrong?" Kyu asked.

"Seems like Oomori Kyoko has disappeared from home too." Moroboshi replied.

"Eh?" Kyu gasped.

"It's alright, it's alright." Yoneyama-sensei consoled.

"Um..." Kyu started, looking at Yoneyama-sensei . "I'll leave Megu in your care."

* * *

In the room...

"The body disappeared!" Moroboshi blinked, having returned to the crime scene with Kyu to find the body had vanished.

"Why?" Kyu wondered. "Why?"

"Where did it go?" Moroboshi inquired.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"A notification from your grandfather." Yurie informed Ryu after they met. "Don't get involved in this case."

"If that's how it is, I don't want to back down even more." Ryu replied.

"Ryu-sama." Yurie mused as the teen walked off.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"What am I doing?" Kyu mused. "Even though I was there, I couldn't save her."

"I was pretty shocked too." Kazuma added. "Finding something like this."

"Eh?" Kyu blinked. "Why are you going through somebody else's bag?" he demanded when Kazuma pulled out the video.

"I didn't know you had a maid complex." Kazuma remarked.

"Guess we learn something new every day." Ami grinned jokingly from the sofa.

"That's not it!" Kyu protested. "It's because I bumped into someone at the video store."

"If you're going to go that far to lie, you're just going to make things more interesting." Kazuma pointed out.

"I'm not lying." Kyu insisted.

"You just dug a deeper hole, Kyu." Ami smirked as the door opened.

"You were together." Kyu noted as Ryu and Megu entered together.

"Sorry for making you worry." Megu apologized.

"I'm not surprised." Kyu replied. "Seeing something like that.

"Having a photographic memory means never forgetting something that you've seen even just once." Ami voiced as Megu took her seat beside her. "Or should I say," she looked sympathetically at Megu. "Even if you wanted to forget, you wouldn't be able to."

"It's rather convenient." Megu admitted. "But unexpectedly harsh."

"I heard yesterday's story from Megu." Ryu cut in.

"It's pathetic, I wasn't able to do anything." Kyu admitted.

"But, it's starting to become more interesting." Ryu noted.

"Interesting?" Kyu echoed. "This isn't a game." he exploded. "People are really dying."

"I'm only interested in solving the mystery and figuring out who the murderer is." Ryu replied. "That's why even during this time, I hope the mystery goes deeper."

"Boys are so confusing." Ami remarked.

"Hey." Megu cut in. "Want to try thinking about the trick behind the body disappearing?"

"The time we went outside to the time we got back to the crime scene was about 3 minutes." Kyu mused. "Within just 3 minutes, the body disappeared without a trace."

"Carrying out a body in just 3 minutes." Megu thought. "It's impossible no matter how you think about it, right?"

"Moreover, the cardboard box and the blue sheet on the floor..." Kyu added. "Why were they taken too?"

"It's a ghost after..." Kazuma remarked.

"And why would the murderer go through the trouble of carrying the body out?" Ami posted a question.

"It's not like he or she's a Magi Shinji." Megu agreed. "What's so funny in scaring us?"

"Magi Shinji?" Kazuma echoed.

"Not again..." Ami sighed.

"Oh no..." Kyu muttered. "We haven't solved the mystery of the sealed room."

"Oh." Ryu started. "Ami and I, we've already solved that."

"Eh?" the other three looked at them.

* * *

Back at the building...

"First, the murderer murdered the victim." Ryu started. "Then, locked the door from outside. Then using this opening, the key was brought next to the victim."

"But how?" Kazuma wondered. "What kind of tool was used?"

"There's no need for any tools." Ami corrected. "Just by placing the key through this opening, the key will reach the inner room automatically."

"No way." Kazuma remarked. "Are you saying that the key will walk on its own?"

"It's not going to walk." Ryu noted. "It's going to roll."

"Eh? Ice?" Kyu blinked as Ryu took out the ice ball from the heat-insulated bag Ami brought along.

"Watch carefully." Ryu placed the ball through the gap and let it roll.

"Why?" Megu wondered as the ice ball continued to roll. "Why won't it stop?"

"I see." Kyu realized. "It's the inclination."

"Yeah, you won't notice it by just looking." Ryu confirmed. "Bit this room's floor is inclined in a certain way."

"And these boxes too." Ami added. "They were purposefully arranged in such a way that won't interfere with the ball as it rolls. The temperature of the room will go up to 46.3 degrees." she continued as the group followed the ball's trail.

"Once the ice melts, only the key will be left on the floor." Ryu concluded. "This is the trick behind the sealed room murder."

"Ryu, Ami, that's amazing." Kyu gushed.

"Happy-go-lucky person." Megu sighed.

"Celebrate after you find out who the murderer is or after solving the trick behind the disappearing body." Kazuma reminded.

"You're vexed, aren't you, Kazuma?" Megu joked, tossing the ice ball to Kazuma. "Because Ryu and Ami beat you to it."

"Not really." Kazuma caught the ball. "My priority was to find the criminal."

"When you were obsessed with a weird fortune-telling." Megu teased.

"I did what I'm supposed to do." Kazuma protested. "On Nishimura Shizuka's fan-site, they talk about a phantom novel that she's left behind."

"She finished a new novel?" Ami blinked. "That's fast."

"Yeah." Kazuma replied. "When I went to meet her publisher, it seems that just before she died, she sent an informal email, 'I'll be hiding a copy of my next novel in the school library, I will transfer the contract to whoever finds it first.' The hint is: A book that will never be read."

"As expected from the Queen of Mysteries." Megu noted. "She has shrouded it with another mystery."

"And so, did someone find the manuscript?" Kyu asked.

"No, they used different methods in order to find the manuscript, but it still hasn't been found." Kazuma replied. "There's a possibility that the manuscript is still in her computer. But, because of the crash when she died, seems like there's no way to find out."

"But, a book that will never be read?" Megu mused as Kyu caught the ice ball Kazuma threw at him.

"Hey, for example, if you've read a serial story of a manga what will you do if one of them is missing?" Kyu posted a question.

"Like it or not, he's got a point." Ami grinned.

* * *

In Koureijou High School's library...

"The answer lies in a book with a sequel." Kyu answered his own question as he checked the library computer. "One that doesn't have the first volume. You can't proceed to the last volume without the first one, right? Here! The 'Dwelling of the Dead', last volume."

"Found it." Ami pulled out the book from the bookshelf.

"Someone's already taken it." Ryu looked at the torn out back cover.

"Who in the world...?" Megu wondered.

"No way." Kyu gaped when Yoshimura paced a hand on Megu's shoulder, frightening the group.

"Someone beat us to it already?" Yoshimura wondered.

"Has anyone ever read that new novel?" Ryu asked.

"Ritsuko and the others probably read it." Yoshimura replied. "Before a deadline, Shizuka would always ask them to re-read things over. Plus, the teacher-in-charge, Yoneyama-sensei."

"That sensei too?" Kyu blinked.

"She may not look like it, but before, she was trying to become a mystery writer." Yoshimura added. "They even say that she abandoned her family for it, so it's nothing half-hearted."

"And so, was she able to debut?" Megu asked.

"In the end, she failed because of lack of talent." Yoshimura replied. "But, she's an accurate critic. Even that prideful Shizuka actually listened to her advice."

"Ryu?" Ami blinked when the teen walked off to make a call.

* * *

In a massage parlor...

"Master, your cellphone is ringing." one of the massagers replied.

"Thanks." Kazuma took the call. "Hello. Eh? Got it, I'll look into it immediately."

* * *

In Koureijou High School...

"Detective!" Kyu started, the four dashing in.

"Ah, you guys again?" Moroboshi noted.

"Did something happen?" Kyu asked.

"Oomori Kyoko's body is found here." Moroboshi replied.

"Eh?" Kyu gasped.

"Again?" Ami exclaimed.

"Megu, you probably shouldn't..." Kyu noted as the four approached the crime scene.

"Eh?" Megu blinked.

"You might start panicking again." Kyu reasoned.

"What naïve words are you saying?" Ryu snorted.

"Eh?" Kyu looked over.

"She was born with that ability, wasn't she?" Ryu asked. "Why won't you let her use it?"

"You can only say that because you didn't see Megu when she was scared." Kyu retorted.

"Then quit trying to become a detective right now." Ryu pointed out.

"Ryu, everyone has something they're weak at and afraid of." Kyu reasoned. "It's friends who help each other out."

"Sorry." Ryu stated. "But I have no need of that. I've always lived this way."

"Detective." Kyu went back to the matter at hand.

"It's Oomori Kyoko." Moroboshi confirmed. "The cause of death is premeditated murder." and he lifted the white covers.

"Megu." Kyu ran after the girl who had walked off after seeing the corpse.

"Kyu, I'm alright." Megu assured, Kyu having used his body to shield Megu's eyes from the body.

"But..." Kyu protested.

"I really have to overcome this." Megu insisted. "I want my abilities to be of use."

"I understand." Kyu nodded. "If that's your decision, I won't stop you anymore. But, Megu, you're not alone. Me, Ami, and Ryu are by your side."

Decided, Megu looked at the corpse, before her attention was caught by the three moles on Kyoko's thigh.

"Are you okay?" Moroboshi asked as Megu turned around.

"This is weird." Megu stated. "She has the same set of moles as Sasaki-san."

"What do you mean?" Kyu asked.

"The amputated lower half of Sasaki-san's body has the same moles as Oomori-san." Megu replied.

Kyu went back to take a closer look at the corpse. "I see." he realized what it was all about. Last night, what we saw wasn't Sasaki-san's body. That was Sasaki-san and Oomori-san, each acting a part of the dead body."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Moroboshi inquired.

"It's the magic trick of cutting people into half." Kyu replied. "They each enacted the top and bottom half of the body by burying themselves in the boxes. The bombing of the car was probably just a trap to get us to go outside. Then, the moment we left the room, they slipped out of the box, and left the crime scene. There really was a reason for taking the cardboard box and blue sheet. Because if the police investigate it, the trick will be all for nothing. Megu, thank you. I got it because of you."

"Eh?" Megu blinked.

"We were caught by such a simple trick?" Moroboshi echoed.

"The death of the first victim, Okada Ritsuko, was patterned in the notebook." Kyu added. "That's why we had the impression that Sasaki-san will also be killed by being cut into half, like it's written in the notebook. It's an ingenious trick."

"But what's the need of going through all that trouble?" Moroboshi wondered.

"In order to make an alibi." Ryu replied.

"Right." Kyu agreed. "I'm sure both of them are threatened by the criminal. 'If you don't do as you're told, I'll reveal that you've killed Nishimura Shizuka-san."

"Then, the true identity criminal is..." Megu gasped.

"I can't think of anyone else but that person." Kyu replied.

Just then, Ami caught something at the corner of her eye and she snapped back.

_Cerberus!_ Her eyes widened. _Just as I thought... Pluto _is _behind this!_

* * *

In an underground carpark...

"Are you going somewhere, sensei?" Kyu asked, the five younger teens having cornered Yoneyama-sensei as she was wheeling a suitcase away.

"Like to get rid of the content in that suitcase?" Megu added.

"We've solved all the tricks." Kyu revealed. "You're the criminal in this serial murder case, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Yoneyama-sensei inquired. "I have no idea what you mean by that."

"Ball of ice," Ami supplied.

"And magically cutting people into half using two people." Ryu added. "Are those words enough?"

"I've always been curious." Kyu remarked. "If you normally avoid contact with your students, why did Sasaki-san send _you_ an SOS call? Because you were with us, it would create an alibi to prove your innocence."

"That's too much of an delusion." Yoneyama-sensei protested.

"Then, why did you say that?" Kyu pressed.

"Eh?" Yoneyama-sensei blinked.

"The time when Police Inspector Moroboshi received Sasaki-san's phone call." Kyu replied. "At that time, we only knew of one missing person, and that was Sasaki-san. But without thinking, you said 'those girls'. Wasn't it because you knew that Sasaki-san and Oomori-san were at the murder scene?"

"Show us the contents of that suitcase." Ami requested.

"Sensei." Kyu started. "Why... did you do such a cruel thing? Why?"

"Revenge for your daughter who was killed?" Kinta supplied.

"Kinta!" Megu blinked.

"Where did you disappear to?" Ami wondered.

"I've been investigating Nishimura Shizuka." Kinta replied. "Seems that she's the daughter of this lady here. Right after your child was born, you couldn't give up your dream of becoming a novelist, so you abandoned your family. But, no matter how hard you worked, the dream remained a dream. During that time, you met your daughter again at school."

"It was undeniable that we were related by blood." Yoneyama-sensei said. "When I was reunited with Shizuka after 16 years, she was also engrossed in mysteries, plus she was naturally endowed in talent. I was so happy when she received her certificate at the contest. I felt that my dream had come true. But those happy days didn't last for a long... I overheard their conversation at that time."

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Looks like we've somehow deceived the police." Ritsuko remarked._

"_The perfect crime." Madoka smiled, as she recalled how they had literally thrown Shizuka over the railing._

"_Ordering us around just because she's a little talented." Ritsuko chuckled. "She got way too elated."_

"_She deserved to die." Oomori agreed._

* * *

"They were laughing." Yoneyama-sensei continued. "Those girls who stole my daughter's future had no right to live."

"Hm?" Ryu snorted. "She was your real daughter. Revenge for your daughter, huh? How can you say such white-washed words?"

"What do you mean?" Ami asked the teen beside her.

"She sent a novel to the Novice Writer's Contest, but it was Nishimura Shizuka's phantom novel that was hidden in the library." Kazuma replied.

"So, that phone call at that time..." Ami trailed.

"Yeah." Ryu confirmed. "By the time we figured out the possibilities, it was already in someone else's hands. That's why I asked Kazuma to investigate whether there was a publisher who had acquired her novel or not."

"But no publisher had the manuscript." Kazuma added.

"If the aim wasn't for the publisher to acquire it, then there's only one possible answer." Ryu remarked.

"To release the manuscript as your own." Ami realized.

"When I assembled the list of applicants from the chairman of the contest, I magnificently found Sensei's name." Kazuma added.

"But how did you know that it was the one that Nishimura Shizuka left behind?" Kinta asked.

"Writers would often use their mailbox to backup their work." Ami replied.

"When I started hacking it, there it was, Nishimura Shizuka's original manuscript." Kazuma added.

"But in order to make her novel your own, you were faced with one problem." Ryu stated. "There are people who have read it already."

"The victims who were killed." Ami realized.

"Yeah." Ryu replied. "She wasn't trying to avenge her daughter. She killed all 3 girls so that her plagiarism won't be revealed."

"No..." Yoneyama-sensei protested. "No! For Shizuka's sake..."

"Then, why didn't you submit it in your daughter's name on it?" Ryu barked. "You've sold your soul to the devil!"

* * *

_Flashback_

"_I can understand why you're worried." Cerberus remarked after Yoneyama-sensei returned the murder plans back to him._

"_I can't kill anyone at all." Yoneyama-sensei admitted._

"_Our only job is to draw up a plan." Cerberus reminded. "To carry it out or not, is up to the client."_

"_I'm sorry." Yoneyama-sensei apologized. "I'll give revenge for my daughter."_

"_The novel your daughter left behind hasn't been found out yet." Cerberus stopped her in her tracks as she turned to leave._

"_Eh?" Yoneyama-sensei blinked._

"_Regrettable, isn't it?" Cerberus prodded. "Now that the writer has died, the chance for someone else to own it can be attained. Of course, __Yoneyama-san, you have a chance, too."_

"_Are you telling me to use my daughter's work?"Yoneyama-sensei realized Cerberus' implication._

_Wordlessly, Cerberus revealed his pendent, invoking his hypnosis on her. "You're the one who understands your daughter's work the most." he reminded. If you kill them, you can avenge your daughter, and your dream to be a novelist will also come true. I'm sure your daughter's who is killed will also be happy."_

* * *

Just then, Moroboshi and his team arrived to nab the murderer.

"Please leave the corpse to us and allow us to escort you to the precinct." Moroboshi told Yoneyama-sensei after Nekoda confirmed it held Oomori's body.

"Please wait!" Kyu called. "I absolutely cannot believe that you would kill someone for the sake of such ugly greed."

"Kyu." Ryu voiced. "This is the reality of this world. The reality that we're fighting against."

"No!" Kyu protested. "That's not true! Because she hugged Megu, when Megu saw the dead body and started panicking, gently, like a mother."

"Ryu," Ami added. "The facts don't always show the whole truth. Solving the crime is important, but I think, seeing through the hidden truth, is also an important role of a detective. And through that, it becomes possible to save people."

"People might think I'm naïve and simple, but I want to believe." Kyu admitted. "That this person too." he looked at Yoneyama-sensei. "Has warm blood in here." he rested his fist over his heart. "That's why, I believe she still has a heart that feels the pain and suffering of others."

"You're a stupid kid." Yoneyama-sensei remarked. "Believing in a woman like me."

"Sensei..." Kyu started.

"Thank you." Yoneyama-sensei turned back.

"You're analog through and through." Kazuma remarked, after Megu gave Kyu an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"You're too cheeky for a brat." Kinta snorted.

* * *

In Dan-sensei's office...

"The members of Q Class have somehow solved the case." Yoshimura reported.

"Is that so?" Dan-sensei noted.

"But in the end, 3 people died." Yoshimura pulled off her disguise to reveal Nanami-sensei underneath. "So it's not something to be praised. But Sensei, what in the world are you plotting? Throwing those kids into an actual case, I didn't think it's something you'd do."

"They've started to move again." Dan-sensei replied.

"Eh?" Nanami-sensei blinked.

"Pluto has started to move again." Dan-sensei explained. "Mizuno has sensed it."

"Eh?" Nanami-sensei gasped, before Dan-sensei showed him a photo of Shizuka's award ceremony with Cerberus in the background.

* * *

In the underground carpark...

"How dare you waste my masterpiece." Cerberus stated, as Yoneyama-sensei entered the police car, showing her his pendent and invoking the mental suggestion he had placed in her mind.

With a silent scream, Yoneyama-sensei grabbed the revolver from the driver's holster and shot herself in the head.

"Hey, hey!" the sudden bang sent the group running over. "What happened?" Moroboshi pulled the door open. "Call an ambulance." he barked, seeing Yoneyama-sensei's lifeless body in the backseat. "Don't move her! Don't move her! Hurry, call an ambulance!"

Megu knelt onto the ground in stunned shock as Kazuma turned around to throw up

"Just as I thought..." Ami hissed, clutching her fist tightly as Kinta and Ryu looked on, expressionless.

* * *

Outside...

The whistling Cerberus skipped out of the scene.

* * *

In the underground carpark...

"Why?" Kyu wondered. "Why did this..."

* * *

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.


	2. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Two

SailorStar9: Nya? The prologue goes up. This is Chapter 1 and no review. No one's reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope and her current muse): Great, now you readers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Sharpens claws)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 2: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Two

* * *

Three nights before...

Takeyama Yuki was in his room, practicing on English dictation, until suddenly, his pen ran out of ink and he scribbled onto the paper pad in frustration. Tossing his headphones onto his bed and switching off the tape recorder, he flipped open his sketch pad when his cellphone rang.

Upon receiving a similar message, he and Suzuki Ayaka went out to the streets, walking aimlessly.

* * *

The next day...

"Nekoda." Moroboshi stated.

"Yes?" Nekoda blinked.

"I don't care about anything today." Moroboshi remarked.

"Okay." Nekoda nodded. "Hey, let's forget about the advancement exam, okay?"

"I've had enough of those career bureaucrats." Moroboshi agreed. "Do you understand how I feel?"

"Wait, it hurts." Nekoda winced as Moroboshi shook him. "Ah! Moroboshi-san!" he gasped, noticing something. "That! Hey, are you okay?" he asked, the two officers rushing over to the two unconscious students on the ground. "Hey, hey, are you okay? Hey! Wake up! Wake up! Are you okay?"

"Where am I?" Takeyama inquired, as he and Suzuki awoke.

"In front of Akihabara Station." Moroboshi replied. "Ah, what are your names? What happened? Huh?"

"Name?" Suzuki echoed.

"Name." Nekoda confirmed.

"I don't know." Suzuki shook her head.

"Eh?" Nekoda blinked.

"Nam..." Suzuki trailed.

"Hey." Nekoda turned when Takeyama started wailing in pain.

The crow on the dustbin nearby dropped a newspaper cutting relating a 'Missing Junior High School students' report.

* * *

On the streets...

Kyu was walking to the Mission Room when he came across an officer making an arrest. The door slam on the police vehicle took him back to the moment when Yoneyama-sensei shot herself. Surpassing the memory, he ran past the police car.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Isn't that right?" Megu asked, hanging her maids' outfits. "Yeah, yeah. This really is the best."

"Ah, this.." Kazuma reached over to take a closer look at an outfit.

"Hey wait, don't touch my clothes." Megu retorted.

"Megu, it's amazing how much useless stuff you brought." Kazuma retorted. "You're not moving in here."

"Kazuma, you too." Megu snapped. "What's with this manga?"

"Hey, that's mine." Kinta cut in.

"Is that so?" Megu tossed the book back into the pile.

"Ah, that's like my bible!" Kinta protested.

"Okay, okay." Megu waved the protest off.

"Everyone..." Kyu walked over to the two silent teens on the sofa, both bent over a chessboard. "They seem so strong."

"If they don't do that, they won't bear it." Ryu reasoned, moving his black bishop to claim Ami's knight.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"Having someone die in front of you, they can't possibly be alright." Ami supplied, using her castle to claim Ryu's second knight.

"That's an unconventional move." Ryu admitted.

"I like being unpredictable." Ami grinned.

"Then..." Kyu looked at the two. "You too?"

"In this line of work, it's something you have used to, whether you like it or not." Ami replied, moving her rook into its new threatening position.

"I never assumes it'll end that way." Ryu admitted, claiming Ami's newly placed rook. "Well, it's been a good lesson."

"A good lesson?" Kyu echoed. "Putting it that way..."

"And I do believe I've won this game."Ami declared triumphantly, her knight in checkmate position, she quirked a smirk at her opponent. "Checkmate."

"You people!" Nanami-sensei cut off all conversation.

"Don't tell me..." Ami muttered in disbelief, the trio joining the rest of the group.

"You look like you're having fun." the fake cactus pot shook.

"I knew it..." Ami sighed as the pot turned around, revealing Nanami-sensei's face.

"Nanami-sensei!" Kyu gaped.

"This classroom was specially prepared for you by Dan-sensei." Nanami-sensei stepped out. "Then, you even dare bring in something frilly like this?" he picked up the girly outfit on the hanger.

"Sorry." Kinta apologized for the younger teens. "Sensei, how long have you been here?"

"Long before you people came in." Nanami-sensei replied.

"Even so, a cactus?" Kyu echoed in amusement.

"Stop!" Nanami-sensei retorted. "Attacking your target's vision is the essential point of the disguise technique."

"It's just a costume, no matter how you look at it." Megu snorted.

"Well, well, well." Nanami-sensei chided. "I'm completely prepared here."

_Must.. resist... urge... to... stab... him..._ Ami fought the overwhelming desire to stab Nanami-sensei repeatedly with her stiletto dagger.

"But before that, this is for you." Nanami-sensei presented the group with a new mission disc. "A new task from Dan-sensei."

"That's fast." Ami admitted.

"Members of Q Class." Dan-sensei came on screen, the group standing at attention. "How do you do? This time, I want you to investigate a case of missing persons. 2 junior high students, studying at a private cram school, suddenly disappeared from their homes. Three days later, they were found on the road in front of Akihabara Station. What's strange about this is that they've lost all of their memories, and it is as if they're a completely different person. Because of this case, the students of the cram school are quite disturbed. With your abilities, I'd like you to solve this case. I pray for your success."

"Well, for now, it doesn't look like a murder case." Kyu voiced after the video ended.

"Kyu, don't jinx it." Ami warned.

"Alright, everyone! This time, let's combine our powers and do our best!" Kyu declared, ignoring her. "Yeah!"

"But everybody's gone..." Megu reminded.

"Eh?" Kyu turned to see everyone else had vanished.

"It can't be helped." Megu got out of her seat. "We're all rivals competing to be Dan-sensei's successor."

"You're so selfless." Nanami-sensei remarked.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"But that's what's good about you." Nanami-sensei added. "It's okay to just be yourself. Don't think about unnecessary things and just run forward."

"Okay!" Kyu nodded and took off.

"Disappearance of junior high school students, huh?" Nanami-sensei mused once Kyu was out of earshot.

* * *

At the Igarashi Academy...

"The best way to gather information is through cram school friends, right?" Kyu suggested, having followed Megu to the cram school.

"Kyu!" Megu turned.

"Huh" Kyu blinked as Megu dragged him off.

"Seems like we thought of the same thing." Kyu reasoned.

"Why are you acting like we're close friends?" Megu asked.

"Because Megu, last time, you were encouraging me." Kyu reminded.

"Eh?" Megu blinked, recalling the previous case. "That was because you looked depressed, so I cheered you up. Stop daydreaming, stupid."

"Hey, let's investigate together." Kyu reasoned as they stepped out of the elevator.

"No way. Shut up!" Megu retorted. "There it is." the pair stopped before the classroom.

"A-Class." Kyu noted.

"After you." Megu gestured.

"Eh? Me?" Kyu blinked.

"Yeah." Megu pushed him froward. "Go ahead. Hurry and go."

"Excuse me." Kyu peered into the classroom. "Is it alright?" he entered the room.

The students looked up at him in unison and went back to their work.

"I'm sorry." Kyu retreated.

"Why did you run away?" Megu demanded when Kyu hid behind a pillar, breathing in relief.

"Read the mood." Kyu replied. "That wasn't an atmosphere where you can just ask questions, right?"

"Huh?" Makino Daisuke stopped in his tracks. "Are you new members of A-Class?"

"Ah, no... we're..." Kyu stammered.

"We're here to observe the prep school." Megu replied. "Could you be a member of the A-Class?"

"Well, you can say that." Makino replied.

"A-Class is a special class that's composed of students with really good grades, right?" Megu pressed.

"But lately, something has been shaking things up." Makino replied.

"Why?" Megu inquired.

"Don't you know about the students of this class who went missing?" Makino asked.

"Do you know something?" Kyu insisted.

"It's God." Makino whispered.

"God?" Megu echoed. "God as in 'God the Almighty'?"

"Yeah." Makino nodded. "They hear God's voice and are reborn."

"Hey, Makino." Igarashi-sensei stated. "What are you doing? We're starting class."

"Okay." Makino nodded.

"Who was that?" Kyu whispered

"Headmaster, Igarashi-sensei." Makino replied.

"Ah, hey, what's your name?" Kyu asked.

"Makino Daisuke." Makino replied. "Bye." he entered the classroom.

"You people are chosen people." Igarashi-sensei droned. "If you don't want to be losers who lead pitiful lives, win through the competition and mercilessly defeat your rivals. Got it?"

"Yes!" the students chorused.

"No good..." Megu shook her head. "I don't think I can be friends with them."

"The voice of God, huh?" Kyu mused.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Huh?" Ryu voiced, finding Takeyama sketching in a park. "You're Takeyama-kun, right? I'm from the same cram school, Amakusa Ryu. Hm, you don't know me, huh?"

"Sorry." Takeyama apologized.

"What a pity." Ryu took a seat beside him. "For someone in A-Class to retire..."

"It can't be helped." Takeyama replied. "The problem is when I try to remember the past, I get a painful headache."

"You're good at drawing." Ryu noted.

"When I do this, I feel like my worries disappear and I feel calm." Takeyama answered.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Sorry to interrupt your practice, but can I have a moment?" Kinta asked, approaching Suzuki's street dancing group. "You're Suzuki Ayaka-chan, right?"

"Here." the males members crowded around Kinta as the female member led Suzuki off.

"Huh?" Kinta blinked.

"You're part of the press who wants to investigate the case of Ayaka's disappearance, right?" the male group member accused. "I'm saying, 'Pay up if you want to interview her.'."

"No, I'm not like that." Kinta assured. "Sorry, but can you tell me what's going on?"

"I told you to stop already!" the female member retorted, seeing Suzuki's distress. "You people force her to remember; that's why this always happens."

"Eh?" Kinta echoed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't get involved any further." the rest of the male members warned. "Let's go."

* * *

At the Igarashi Academy...

"Makino-kun!" Kyu greeted Makino who had exited from the classroom after the session ended.

"You two were still here." Makino noted.

"About the talk we had earlier: was there anything strange about the 2 students who went missing?" Kyu prodded.

"Sheesh." Makino shrugged. "I don't remember. I don't really talk to anyone in class."

"Then were there any troubles?" Kyu pressed.

"Not really. Say..." Makino stopped in his tracks. "Why are you guys asking so many questions?"

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"Makino!" Igarashi-sensei voiced. "Do you have time to chat around? If you let your guard down, you might fall behind."

"I understand." Makino replied.

"Morita-sensei." Igarashi-sensei stopped the teacher.

"Yes?" Morita-sensei blinked.

"The grades of the students went down 2 points during the last mock exam in English." Igarashi-sensei warned.

"I'm very sorry." Morita-sensei apologized.

"I have no business in anything that doesn't show results." Igarashi-sensei reminded. "Remember that there'll no second warning."

"Yes." Morita-sensei replied.

"Here, teachers get graded too, huh?" Megu echoed in disbelief as Morita-sensei hurried to the next class.

"To them, the most important thing are numbers." Makino remarked. "Just like the students here."

* * *

On the streets...

"Now that I think about it, they're unlucky too." Megu noted.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"Because this isn't an era where you can be happy with just a good academic background, right?" Megu stated.

"Friends running towards the same dream..." Kyu mused. "We're probably lucky to have those, right?"

"You know, Kyu." Megu remarked. "You're really a happy-go-lucky person."

"Eh?" Kyu blinked. "How so?"

"You've never thought of trying to outdo us or something?" Megu was puzzled.

"Um, I don't want to lose..." Kyu admitted. "Kinta!" he noticed the eldest of the group on the other side of the street and a group of boys following him.

"Want something from me?" Kinta asked, having lured the group trailing him under an underpass. "Sorry, but guys following me around doesn't make me happy at all. Bye."

"Hey wait, bastard!" the leader retorted, surrounding Kinta to prevent him from leaving.

"This doesn't look like a normal robbery." Kinta nodded, seeing the penknives.

"Shut up!" the leader attacked.

"Kinta!" Kyu shouted, having arrived to the scene with Megu.

"Why are you here?" Kinta asked, having tossed a thug onto the floor.

"Because those people are following you." Kyu replied.

"It's dangerous." Kinta warned. "So just stay there."

"Kyu!" Megu tried to pull him off.

"No!" Kyu stood his ground. "I can't leave you alone and run away!"

"Huh?" Kinta echoed.

"I'll get you!" one of the thugs attacked, seeing an opening.

Kyu reacted and tired to fight off the group with a metal pole, only to be knocked off balance by the additional weight.

"Falling down because of fear?" Kinta joked, having knocked the thug off.

"Kinta's amazing." Megu gaped when Kinta kicked a thug away and finished the last one with a headbutt.

"Let's go!" the leader told his group, having lost the fight.

"Kyu." Kinta went back to the youngster. "Were you injured?"

"Kyu, are you alright?" Megu asked.

"Yeah." Kyu nodded.

"You idiot." Kinta chided. "Why did you do something reckless?"

"Kinta..." Kyu started. "You're my friend. I can't abandon my friends and run away."

"Stupid!" Kinta scolded. "Why were you following me around?" he held the straggler in a grip.

"No reason!" the thug replied.

"Whose order was it?" Kinta demanded.

"I dunno." the thug answered. "I just received an email on my cellphone."

"What?" Kinta echoed. "I'm going to borrow this a while." he retrieved the cellphone.

"Kinta, where are you going?" Kyu asked.

"Hurry and get your wound treated." Kinta advised.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Ouch!" Kyu winced as Megu tended to his injury.

"Sheesh." Megu sighed.

"Be gentler." Kyu begged.

"You're a guy, right?" Megu reminded. "Bear with it. Ok." she stated, adding a band-aid.

"Ryu, Ami, welcome back." Kyu greeted the pair who had entered. "Where'd you go?"

"We met with Takeyama Yuki, one of the kid who went missing." Ryu replied. "He probably has Dissociative Amnesia."

"Dissociative Amnesia?" Kyu echoed. "What's that?"

"Damage to the mind, caused by stress." Ami supplied. "They protect themselves by selectively forgetting parts of their memory."

"When they try to remember the past, they experience nausea or headaches." Ryu added. "That's one of the symptoms."

"In short, because of the exam preparations, they were driven to a corner and they lost their memory?" Kyu reasoned.

"That's one possibility." Ryu noted.

"But, for the same thing to happen to both of them..." Ami frowned. "It's _way_ too much of a coincidence. Maybe..." she trailed. "We're using the wrong approach. Time to add a little feminine touch to the situation." she smiled.

"Eh?" Ryu blinked when his partner made call. "What are you doing?"

"Calling in a favor." Ami grinned. "Hello, Nerissa-nee-chan? Yeah, it's me. I have something to ask of you. Yes, I know. You'll do it!" she echoed in disbelief after a few seconds. "Nerissa-nee-chan, you're the best! Thanks! It's settled." she turned to her partner. "Nerissa-nee-chan will help us crack that tough nut of ours."

"How?" Ryu asked.

"You'll see." Ami grinned. "Nerissa-nee-chan has a way with people, especially with Takeyama's type."

"I think one of the lecturers is suspicious." Megu mused.

"Why?" Kyu asked.

"You saw it today, right?" Megu reminded. "The haughty attitude of that headmaster. I'm sure one of them is harassing the headmaster for revenge. Tonight, I'll go to the school and look for evidence."

"Eh?" Kyu echoed. "It's dangerous. Alright, I know: I'll go with you. I'm worried if you go alone. Right, Ryu?"

"Leave me out of this." Ryu muttered.

* * *

That night...

"You were saying?" Ami joked, the five having staked out outside the cram school.

"Very funny." Ryu muttered.

"Alright, it's exactly 12 midnight." Kazuma looked at his watch.

"Let's go!" Megu nodded and the five acted.

"Hey." Ryu voiced, hearing music and a cellphone ringing in the headmaster's office. "What's that sound?"

"Over there." Ami headed towards the corridor. "It's from this room."

"Is someone here?" Megu wondered.

"But no one's answering." Kazuma pointed out.

Ryu tugged at the door handle when the cellphone stopped ringing, only to find it locked.

"Lights." Ami instructed, pulling out her lock-pick from the pouch around her thigh. The other four focused their touch-lights on the knob as Ami worked on the lock, the door opening seconds later.

"Kazuma, lights." Ryu stated, his touch-light having shone onto a leg.

"Megu, are you alright?" Kyu asked when Megu turned away upon seeing Igarashi-sensei's corpse when the lights were turned on.

"Don't worry." Megu assured. "I'm alright."

"Kazuma, take note." Ami instructed.

"Yeah." Kazuma replied, taking out his camera to take photographic evidence.

"Good job." Nekoda nodded to his superior after the police removed the corpse.

"Yeah." Moroboshi replied. "Who discovered him first. Hey!" he suddenly noticed the five teens. "Why are you people doing here? Did you come in without permission? That's trespassing."

"Besides that, the investigation is more important right now, right?" Ami reminded.

"Identity of employee?" Moroboshi asked his subordinate.

"Ok." Nekoda referred to his notes.

"The victim's name is Igarashi Takumi, 45 years old." Kyu cut in. "The headmaster of this cram school."

"Cause of death?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Yes, um..." Nekoda looked at his notes.

"It's most likely bleeding to death due to the severing of the carotid artery." Ryu cut in.

"Approximate time of death?" Moroboshi looked at his subordinate.

Nekoda gestured for the teen for the go ahead.

"Ah, go ahead." Kyu passed the gesture right back.

"Ah, me?" Nekoda blinked.

"Yes." Kyu nodded.

"What are you confirming for, idiot?" Moroboshi scolded.

"Ah right." Nekoda nodded. "Estimating from the rigor mortis, we assume that it was from 10pm to 11pm."

"The emergency staircase's door was locked from the inside." Kazuma added. "The only entrance left is the service entrance."

"Then, where was the security guard?" Moroboshi inquired.

"He was patrolling the building." Nekoda supplied.

"Then, why don't you check the elevator's security camera?" Ami suggested.

"Right, Nekoda-san?" Megu gave the officer a grin.

"Um..." Nekoda stammered.

"What are you being convinced for?" Moroboshi chided. "Where's your pride as a detective?"

"Feminine whimsies indeed." Ami gave Megu a side-glance.

"I'm curious about something." Ryu voiced.

"What?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Eh?" Nekoda blinked as Ryu showed them the photos Kazuma took.

"Please look at the pottery fragments on top of the body." Ryu stated. "It's completely covered, as if bathing in blood. If it fell after his heart stopped beating, there wouldn't be this much blood."

"In short, the victim could be still alive, but it's just that he couldn't move." Ami concluded, following his reasoning. "Then, was he put to sleep by a sleeping pill or something like that?" she mused.

"Most likely." Ryu agreed with her.

"For what?" Moroboshi was puzzled.

"That's what we'll investigate." Ami replied.

"I see." Moroboshi nodded. "That was some good investigation. Then, we'll..."

"Officer Moroboshi." one of the officers cut in.

"Yeah?" Moroboshi asked.

"One moment." the officer pulled Moroboshi aside.

"The vase and the ornament used to be on top of the shelf." Megu mused as Kyu picked up the photo frame on the table.

"Why did it fall, when it was placed that high?" Kyu wondered.

"Maybe it fell when he was struggling with the criminal." Megu suggested.

"Look." Kyu stated, referring back to the photo when he saw the glass fragments on the ground. "This glass ornament, it was placed that far, yet why did it fall into pieces here?"

"Hey, enough." Moroboshi called out. "Go home already. Why don't you watch some soccer on TV?"

"This is bad!" Nekoda reported. "Moroboshi-san, the Chief of the Precinct has called. Another student of this school has gone missing."

"Name?" Moroboshi asked.

"Makino Daisuke, 15 years old." Nekoda replied.

"Eh?" Kyu and Megu echoed.

* * *

In Dan-sensei's office...

"Is Pluto a part of this case after all?" Nanami-sensei voiced his suspicions.

"Considering the circumstances during the last case, it looks like Celia-san's vision had been proven right; they're really back in action."

"Should we take the Class Q out of this case?" Nanami-sensei suggested.

"No." Dan-sensei replied. "I'll let them continue the investigation."

"But it's also possible that..." Nanami-sensei protested.

"For me, possible or not, I don't want them to overdo it." Dan-sensei voiced. "But, I don't have much time left. That's why I want them to grow up as fast as possible. For that to happen, I have no choice but to put them in a real case."

"Sensei..." Nanami-sensei muttered.

"Nanami," Dan-sensei stated. "Please assist them. Once Q Class finds out who the true criminal is, Pluto will definitely come and eliminate the true criminal. That'll be our chance."

* * *

The next day...

"Did you find out whose email address that was?" Kinta asked.

"Before that, where's the article you promised?" Haruka inquired.

"Here." Kinta handed her a package.

"Kinta, you didn't do anything to a junior high school girl, right?" Haruka joked when she saw the plastic doll.

"Huh?" Kinta blinked when Haruka passed him an envelope. "Are you serious?" he sighed, when he saw Suzuki's address.

In the Igarashi Academy's hall...

"Ah!" Nekoda suddenly gasped.

"What's wrong?" Moroboshi asked when Nekoda paused the tape.

"Look at this." Nekoda replied. "Look, she's wearing glasses." he focused on Megu. "Looks defenseless and cute. I'll take a picture for proof. Ouch!" he winced when Moroboshi smacked him, causing him to miss the shot. "Ah, I just got the table."

"In order to get inside the headmaster's room, you have to use this elevator." Moroboshi stated.

"Yes." Nekoda replied.

"Then the criminal should show up." Moroboshi reasoned.

"Yes." Nekoda agreed and continued playing the tape.

"This is about the time when the crime occurred, right?" Moroboshi asked as Nekoda fast-forwarded the tape. Ah! Stop!" he exclaimed when Morita-sensei came onto the screen.

"Ah!" ok!" Nekoda stopped the tape.

"I think this man is..." Moroboshi trailed.

* * *

In a park..

"Hey! Where are you throwing at?" the catcher chided when the pitcher tossed the baseball off course.

"Sorry, sorry." the pitcher apologized as the catcher went to retrieve the ball. "Come here!" he called out.

"Eh? What's wrong?" the pitcher asked.

"Someone has collapsed." the catcher replied, the camera moving in to reveal Makino.

"No way!" the pitcher gasped.

* * *

At the hospital...

"Anyway, is your leg okay?" a baseball player asked his injured teammate.

"It's alright." the wheelchair-bound pre-teen replied. "It's be cured in 3 days."

"Impossible!" the baseball team joked.

"How was your last match?" the injured player inquired.

"We won, of course." the team replied.

"Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Alright." the wheelchair-bound player whooped.

"Makino-kun." Kyu voiced, as he and Megu found the teen on the terrace. "Are you alright? Yesterday, where were you?"

"You guys..." Makino trailed. "Who are you?"

Yesterday, we talked at the school, right?" Kyu reminded. "Do you remember? What's wrong?" he asked when Makino clutched his head in pain.

"Whenever I try to remember something, my head hurts." Makino replied.

* * *

At the Igarashi Academy...

"Notice of Temporary Closure." Kyu blinked at the notice bulletin.

"It can't be helped." Megu replied. "The headmaster died after all."

"Um, hey." Kyu stopped three A-Class students. "You're members from the A-Class, right? It's concerning the death of Igarashi-sensei. Did any trouble happen at school?"

"No, not really." one of the students replied.

"Then, how about Makino Daisuke-kun?" Kyu pressed after the student walked off.

"Sorry, but I've never talked to him." the second student replied and went off.

"I'm not interested in others apart from their grades." the third student added, exiting.

"Moroboshi-san." Kyu blinked as the two detectives came in.

"This time, I win." Moroboshi boasted.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"We caught the suspect." Nekoda supplied.

* * *

In the school hall...

"Stop here." Moroboshi told Nekoda when Morita-sensei appeared on scene.

"Ok." Nekoda stopped the tape.

"It's true that last night, I came back here after going home." Morita-sensei admitted. "But that's because I received an email from the headmaster."

"E-mail?" Nekoda echoed.

"Yes." Morita-sensei nodded.

"Can I confirm that?" Nekoda inquired.

"Ah yes." Morita-sensei dug out his cellphone. "Um... Ah here." he showed the detective the message which read: Term tests results are out. I would like to talk to you about them as well as your teaching path from now on. I'll be waiting at school at 0.5 pm – Igarashi.

"But during the time Igarashi-san died, you were the only one seen going in and out." Moroboshi noted.

"Are you kidding me?" Morita-sensei protested. "I didn't kill him. Last night when I came here, he was in his locked room. And, like always, he was listening to some music."

"Music?" Kyu echoed.

"It's the headmaster's hobby." Morita-sensei added. "After the students and teachers leave, he listens to classical music loudly. When I called out in the hallway, he wouldn't answer. Even when I called him on the phone, he didn't answer either. That's why I thought he was just harassing me, like always."

"We'll listen to you at the station." Moroboshi nodded. "Please follow me."

"Wait, officer!" Morita-sensei protested. "Please, listen to me!"

* * *

On the streets...

"At the time Igarashi-san was killed, the only one who came there was Lecturer Morita." Megu mused. "Plus he was bitter toward Igarashi-san. With these circumstantial evidences, he's definitely the murderer, right?"

"But if it's a premeditated murder, he wouldn't defenselessly show himself on camera and he would've erased the e-mail too." Kyu reasoned.

"Then who killed him and how?" Megu wondered.

Kyu was in deep thought when a sudden burst of music alerted him.

"What's this?" Megu winced, covering her ears at the loud, pounding music.

However, Kyu's attention was diverted when he noticed a water bottle on a parked car's hood. "Could it be?" he wondered, an idea coming to him.

"Kyu, where are you doing?" Megu asked, running after him as Kyu took off.

"I think I can solve the trick on how Igarashi-san was killed." Kyu replied.

"Eh?" Megu blinked when Kyu gestured for her to follow.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"They say that drawings reflect the artist's heart, right?" Ryu voiced as Takeyama drew over the angel picture in frustration. "That drawing is overflowing with your emotions that's being clouded by worries. Losing your memory is a lie, isn't it? You were driven to a corner by the exams and you lost your freedom to draw, so..."

"Ryu, that's enough out of you." Ami chided. "I'm sorry." she looked at the enraged Takeyama. "My partner here." she gave Ryu a mock-glare. "Doesn't know the word 'subtlety'. I'm no expert at interpreting paintings, but I can tell you are talented. What do you say?" she gave Takeyama a smile. "I'll introduce you to a great teacher."

"A teacher?" Takeyama blinked in surprise.

"I do believe every amateur artist knows of her." Ami added. "Kaioh Nerissa."

At the mention of the genius painter, Takeyama relented.

* * *

In Nerissa's art gallery...

"Now, we'll just leave Nerissa-nee-chan to work her magic." Ami declared proudly, after inducting the two to meet.

"What's that about?" Ryu asked, curious. "That return favor Kaioh-san spoke off."

"It's just something Nerissa-nee-chan and I worked out, like a trade-off." Ami explained. "Everytime, she does me a favor, I return that favor by playing a violin-harp duet with her in her nearest upcoming concerts."

* * *

Elsewhere...

Kinta has found Suzuki practicing in front a mirrored door.

"Dance practice by yourself?" Kinta inquired. "You must really like dancing, huh? Losing your memory was a lie, right? You sent people to attack me because you were scared that I'd find out that you were lying."

"What are you talking about?" Suzuki demanded. "I absolutely can't understand where you're going with this."

"Parents nagging you to study and your beloved dance was taken away." Kinta listed. "No wonder you feel suppressed. You disappeared and pretended to lose your memory, trying to regain your true self."

"Are you going to tell my parents?" Suzuki asked.

"If I did that, it wouldn't solve anything." Kinta pointed out.

"Eh?" Suzuki blinked.

"Before, I got my dancer friend to teach me." Kinta started to street dance in front of the mirror. "Like this?" he ended with a pose.

"You suck." Suzuki remarked.

"What?" Kinta blinked. "Then, you do it. You're good." he noted after Suzuki finished the dance sequence. "When I was young," he added, continuing his dance steps. "I shoplifted a plastic model that I really, really wanted. But looking back, that wasn't something that I enjoyed. Something you've gained cunningly, has no value, right?"

* * *

In Igarashi-sensei's office...

"Kyu, what did you find out?" Megu asked as Kyu led her back to the office.

"The reason why the criminal rendered the victim unable to move." Kyu entered the office.

"The one Ryu mentioned?" Megu inquired.

"Yeah, that was a clever alibi trick made by the criminal." Kyu noted.

"Alibi trick?" Megu echoed.

"Yeah." Kyu nodded. "Every night, Igarashi-sensei had a habit of loudly listening to music, right?" he switched on the CD player.

"Yeah." Megu nodded.

"The criminal used resonance vibration which was activated by music to kill Igarashi-sensei.

"Resonance vibration?" Megu echoed.

"When a substance reacts in response to a large wavelength, a phenomenon that creates vibrations." Kyu explained. "First, the criminal used sleeping pills or something to make Igarashi-sensei fall asleep. Then, using the vase and candlestick, he made a device so a knife would stab the carotid artery. Then, the music was activated using a timer, and the vase dropped from the top of the bookshelf. Megu, turn the volume up."

"Okay." Megu turned up the volume. "It got stabbed." she blinked in surprise when Kyu's experiment worked.

"In short, the criminal wasn't present when the crime was committed." Kyu concluded. "Using Igarashi-sensei's habit of listening to music every night, the criminal killed Igarashi-sensei remotely."

"Then, is the criminal whom the camera captured before the crime happened, the true criminal?" Megu wondered.

"Yeah." Kyu nodded. "That's right. Lastly, why did the ornament being that far, fall all the way here? Hello?" he answered the call.

* * *

On the streets...

"Kyu?" Kinta started. "I know the truth behind the case of disappearance."

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"A forwarded email?" Kyu echoed after Kinta and Ami reported their findings.

"At first, it was just a modest warning." Ami replied. "'Are you really okay with your current life?'"

"'If you could restart your life all over again, what kind of 'you' would you choose?" Kinta continued. "Those who couldn't do what they really want and were stressed out, guided by the advice to disappear, tried to be reborn as a different person."

"And the identity of the provoker?" Kazuma pressed.

"No information that revealed the identity came around." Ami answered. "It's just that the screen name is 'God'."

"God?" Kyu echoed.

"A being that leaks a magazine or manga before its release, or someone respected is called 'God' on the internet world." Kazuma supplied.

"But, Kinta, Ami, you two are amazing." Kyu gushed. "Great job on the information."

"Eh?" Kinta blinked. "It's no big deal."

"Well, it pays to have connections." Ami grinned.

"Even if your rival just scored some points, you're really positive, Kyu." Megu remarked.

"But, you're honestly amazing, Kinta." Ryu voiced. "You were able to open her hearts and get the information out. It's vexing, but I can't do that."

"As I've said, you don't know the word, 'subtlety'." Ami reminded. "You accuse him of lying straight in his face; of course any normal person will be offended."

"Kazuma, what have you been looking at?" Kyu inquired.

"The only ones who knew the headmaster's habit of listening to music every night are the school's authorized personnel, right?" Kazuma mused. "Huh?" he blinked when Makino came on screen, causing the rest of the group to crowd around. "This guy is looking at the security camera, right?"

"His glasses are different." Megu noted. "His glasses before and after disappearing are different. I noticed it when we visited him."

"Why is that so?" Kyu's brain started turning. "I know who the criminal is." he stated, after making the connection on the glass ornament.

"Eh?" everyone else turned to him.

"Yeah, I got it." Megu ended her call. "Thanks Neko-chan. Kyu, according to Forensics, the thing you mentioned was found in the fragments of the glass ornament." she reported back to the group.

"Hey, according to the Internet News Flash, a large number of students around this area have gone missing." Kazuma added.

"Eh?" Ryu echoed.

"Kinta, Ami, where did Ayaka-san and Yuki-san hide during the time they were supposed to be missing?" Kyu asked.

"At a grade school building." Kinta replied.

"The one that was abolished recently." Ami added.

* * *

That night...

"Hey, are they really in this abolished building?" Megu whispered when Kinta suddenly tripped over something in the darkness.

"Kinta!" the younger teens chided.

"Ah, that shocked me." Kinta apologized. "Sorry, sorry."

"What a shock." Megu heaved.

"Guys." Ami stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong, Ryu?" Megu asked as Ryu entered the laboratory.

"Nothing." Ryu replied. "It's just that I think I heard some voices over there."

"Around the gym area?" Kinta mused.

"Let's go." Kyu suggested.

"Yeah." Megu nodded and the rest headed out.

With the other four out of earshot, Ami shut her eyes and stated, "How long do you intend to hide?"

"You knew?" Ryu turned a sharp look at her as Yurie and Cerberus emerged from their hiding spots.

* * *

Along the corridor...

"Someone's here." Kazuma stated, having heard a piano's melody echo.

"What now?" Megu asked, the four peering in.

"Let's go." Kyu concluded.

"One, two." he and Kinta pulled the doors open.

* * *

In the gymnasium...

"Were you guided by God, too?" Kyu asked, the four rushing in. "Then, you should go home right away."

"God will be caught by the police soon." Megu added.

"Don't do things without my permission." the disguised 'God' voiced as he entered via the second story side door.

"Show your face, Makino-kun." Kyu requested and Makino removed his mask.

* * *

Along the corridor...

"Pluto's behind this case again, after all." Ami snorted.

"We were simply creating a murder plan." Cerberus corrected. "The client is the one who executes it. The proof that connects him and us is gone."

"I wonder..." Ami let out a cold smirk, the frigid tip of her stiletto knife poised at Cerberus' throat, her Guardian Ring's power activated.

"Still so cold." Yurie remarked. "Just as expected from the Guardian of Mercury. Ryu-sama." she turned to Ryu, ignoring the flash of shock on Ryu's face. "No matter how hard you try to run away from us, you can't run away from your destiny."

"My life is my own." Ryu stated. "I won't take orders from you people. Ami." he looked at the revealed Guardian.

Nodding, the girl revoked her power and unsheathed her knife.

"Your destinies are like your shadows." Cerberus reminded.

The two teens ignored him and went on their way, a silent agreement between them to keep each other's identities a secret until they could reveal it to the rest of the group.

* * *

In the gymnasium...

"You were really the true identity of God." Kyu stated after Ryu and Ami rejoined the group. "And the murderer of Igarashi-sensei. Fragments of a glass ornament were at the crime scene's carpet. I thought, why did an ornament located that far, end up on the floor. The answer? Your glasses. You secretly slipped into the headmaster's office and attacked Igarashi-sensei. During that time, you dropped your glasses and they broke. Since you couldn't pick up all the fragments, you camouflaged it by breaking the glass ornament."

"The proof is that you've changed glasses before and after you've disappeared." Megu added. "I asked Forensics and found out that among the ornament glass fragments, spectacle glass fragments were mixed in."

"Why?" Kyu asked. "Why did you..."

"Kyu-kun," Makino stated. "Have you ever let your friends down?"

"Eh?" Kyu echoed.

"I had baseball friends during grade school." Makino explained. "But right after attending the cram school, 'I have to dump you or I'll get dumped.'. Every day, Igarashi indoctrinated me. Eventually, I became happy when my friends failed. Inside, I laughed at other people's suffering. I became a person like that. At this rate, I'll grow up to be like Igarashi. When I thought of that, I became scared."

"That's why you killed Igarashi-sensei?" Kyu inquired.

"Yeah." Makino nodded.

_

* * *

Flashback_

"_You dropped your cellphone." Igarashi-sensei returned Makino's handphone._

"_Thank you very much." Makino replied and reclaimed his cellphone._

"_Makino." Igarashi-sensei stated, stopping Makino in his tracks._

"_Yes?" Makino turned._

"_Your communication history, it was only your mother, huh?" Igarashi-sensei inquired. "Good work, Makino. There's no other student who loyally follows my teachings. You will surely win through the competition. From now on, just think about defeating your rivals."_

* * *

"At that time, I thought I had to kill him and be reborn." Makino continued. "In order to escape Igarashi, I had no choice but to eliminate him from my view."

"Did you really think that you could be reborn by doing that?" Kyu asked. "By sacrificing other people's lives, did you think you can start all over again? No matter what the reason is, murder cannot be forgiven. You had no right to take Igarashi-sensei's life. Plus, calling yourself 'God', and instigating the disappearance through email, was because you thought they felt the same way. Were you trying to save them? If you wanted friends, why didn't you strike hard? Remember the time when you still played baseball, suffering through practices together, fighting, encouraging each other. Just like that, before you know it, you get along well. Isn't that what a friend is? Isn't that what a companion is?"

"Are those people there your friends?" Makino looked over at the group.

"Yeah." Kyu nodded. "Friends chasing the same dream."

"I'm jealous that you can proudly say that." Makino admitted.

* * *

The next morning, outside the abandoned school...

"Kyu-kun." Makino started before he entered the police escort vehicle.

"What?" Kyu asked.

"Once I have properly paid for my sins, will you play catchball with me?" Makino requested.

"Of course." Kyu nodded.

* * *

In the school's hall...

"Are you going to shut your client's mouth with hypnosis?" Nanami-sensei stopped the whistling police-officer-disguised Cerberus in his tracks.

"You are?" Cerberus asked.

"Dan Detective Office, Nanami Kotarou." Nanami-sensei declared.

"So, you're Nanami-kun huh?" Cerberus snorted. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Wow, I'd love to hear what you know." Nanami-sensei remarked in sarcasm.

"An over self-conscious confidence, huh?" Cerberus added. "But that's also your weakness."

"Such a child's trick." Nanami-sensei snorted when Cerberus took out his silver pendent, only to be attacked by a hypnotized police officer from behind. Reacting, Nanami-sensei tossed the officer over his shoulder. "Bastard!" he cursed when he lost sight of his target.

* * *

Outside the school...

"I wonder what'll happen to us?" Megu wondered. "Will we be rivals forever? Or will we..."

"Hey, Kyu." Kazuma voiced.

"Yeah?" Kyu asked.

"Since when did we become friends?" Kazuma wondered.

"Eh? Since when?" Kyu echoed. "We're friends, right?"

"What a happy-go-lucky person." Megu remarked.

"I'm hungry." Kinta cut in. "Let's eat some chanponmen."

"I'll pass." Kazuma remarked as the group walked off.

"Eh?" Kinta blinked. "Why?"

"Kyu, what are you doing?" Megu prodded. "Hurry, let's go."

"Yeah!" Kyu nodded and took off after the group.

* * *

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.


	3. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Three

SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 2 goes up. This is Chapter 3 and only one review. No one else is reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope and her current muse): Great, now you non-reviewers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Sharpens claws)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 3: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Three

* * *

Time passes, at night...

"What the situation of the eviction notice on that piece of land?" the land shark called his secretary. "A lot of people want that land. Hold them down before they make a move. Give no mercy to all who oppose. Do it thoroughly."

Entering his car, he was about to drive off when someone blocked his way.

"Hey," he stepped out of his vehicle "What are you standing there for, bastard? Can you hear me, bastard?"

With a grin, the hooded man thrust a knife into his stomach and pulled out the weapon, the land shark collapsing next to his vehicle.

* * *

The next morning...

"Evidence leading to the criminal has yet been found." the newscaster reported. "According to the police, there's a possibility that this has become a serial murder case."

In a rubbish dump, the camera closed in on the land shark's corpse.

* * *

In Kazuma's transport...

"Hello." Kazuma answered the call. "It's Narusawa. It's about the game program, right? I'll have it done by next week I'm sorry. Ah!" he blinked when his car turned a corner. "Stop here. I'll walk the rest of the way."

* * *

In the streets...

After straightening his clothes out, Kazuma stepped into the Kanda Florist.

"Thank you very much." Youko had finished serving a customer. "Ah, welcome." she noticed Kazuma.

"Hello." Kazuma greeted. "Um can you make me something again?"

"Yeah, for your home, right?" Youko nodded.

"Yes." Kazuma replied as he looked admiringly at Youko who was putting together a bouquet of flowers.

"Nevertheless, you must really like..." Youko noted.

"Eh?" Kazuma blinked.

"Flowers." Youko clarified. "You're always here, every 3 days or less."

"It's just that, I become happy just by seeing them." Kazuma replied.

"It make me happy if you say that." Youko smiled.

"Um, I wasn't..." Kazuma stammered.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Box-ku, Box-ku, Box-ku." Kinta and Kyu were using one of the cushions for training practice. "Up. Down. Up. Down. Kick."

"That's a useless kick." Kinta chided.

"Evil Super Ultra Mega Ultimate Woot Littlix-Subs-Rocks Thanks-Live-Evil-For-The-Help Big Punch." Kyu was thrown to the ground.

"Kyu, what's with that pathetic punch?" Kinta scolded. "You're making your fist cry."

"Um, I'm not very good with this stuff." Kyu remarked.

"Black-sensei once said that, anything in the hands of a swords-master can become a weapon." Ami stated.

"That's deep." Megu nodded. "But why past tense?" she wondered.

A muscle in Ami's jaw jumped as she clenched it, a old pain rising up in her eyes.

Ryu, having sensed Ami's sudden change in composure, looked up from his book and shook his head at Megu, telling her discretely that she had somehow poured salt on some half-healed wound.

Megu got his silent message and did not press any further.

"What are you being naïve for?" Kinta chided, the duo not noticing the exchange. "You have to at least learn the basis of self-defense. Or you'll get hurt like last time."

"Plus, weak guys aren't charming." Megu added on the sofa.

"That's harsh, Megu." Ami smirked on her side of the sofa as Kinta let out an amused snort.

"Hey, isn't there some kind of special move that even I can do?" Kyu inquired.

"Well, that's..." Kinta stated. "Your only option is to kick him in the crotch, right?" he whispered.

"Eh?" Kyu echoed.

"That can't be trained at all." Kinta added and the two burst out laughing.

"What are you two whispering around for?" Megu commented. "Gross."

"Boys are weird." Ami remarked.

"Good morning, everyone!" Kazuma declared.

"Kazuma, you brought flowers," Ami blinked. "Again!"

"The room will look brighter." Kazuma placed the bouquet on the table. "It's okay if it's elegant, right?"

"Actually," Ami started, the group crowded around the table.

"To be honest, they're getting in the way." Megu finished the sentence.

"Well, you probably wouldn't understand." Kazuma chided the two girls. "Living while being surrounded by flowers... Ah! What a luxury!"

"You're being naïve, Narusawa!" Nanami-sensei declared from somewhere.

"Don't tell me..." Ami muttered in disbelief.

"It's 'Mission Impossible'!" Nanami-sensei dropped in, 'Mission Impossible' style.

"I knew it!" Ami sighed. "Help yourself." she strolled past Nanami-sensei, handing him a kunai knife.

"We can tell." Kyu followed her example.

"Why do you never appear normally." Kinta remarked, walking past.

"I like it." Nanami-sensei stated. "Is it bad? Stop this!"

"Please be serious." Megu requested, strolling past.

"Ah, stop this!" Nanami-sensei protested.

"As one would expect from you, Sensei." Ryu added, walking past.

"How arrogant!" Nanami-sensei retorted. "Do you think you can become a full-fledged detective with that? Hey, someone, stop this! Thank you." he noted when Kazuma stabilized him. "What?" he blinked when Kazuma handed him a flower.

"It's nothing at all." Kazuma replied.

"And so," Nanami-sensei added. "Order from Dan-sensei." he revealed the mission disc.

"Members of Q Class." Dan-sensei came on screen, the group standing at attention. "How do you do? This time, I'll like you to investigate a serial murder case. The criminal is an evil murderer called a 'scrap murderer'."

"'Scrap murderer'?" Kyu echoed.

"The first victim is a young man who attacked a homeless person." Dan-sensei continued. "Next is a land shark. All the victims are thrown in a garbage dump. This time, the criminal didn't leave any tracks. With your abilities, I would like you to expose the identity of this criminal. I pray for your success."

"It's serial murderer, is this, huh?" Kyu mused once the video cut off.

"The criminal's on quite a high level one then." Kinta added.

"You guys." Nanami-sensei warned. "Don't go overboard. The criminal is serial murderer. Once you find out who the criminal is, let the police know right away. By all means, don't attempt the impossible."

"Ok." the group chorused.

* * *

On the streets...

"First, let's look for someone who knew the victim." Kyu suggested, biting into his ice lolly.

"You're always doing this, but why is Kinta here, too?" Megu inquired.

"Ah!" Kinta blinked. "Kyu looks like he'll just jump forward without thinking. I can't just leave him alone."

"It's comforting to have Kinta around, just in case, right?" Kyu added.

"Before that happens, I'll run away." Megu reminded.

"What?" Kinta blinked as Megu stormed off.

"Ah, how annoying." Megu sighed.

* * *

Under a bridge...

"It was every night." Rou replied. "They really had no mercy. If that brat wasn't killed, I wouldn't been killed. Is it bad? I'm thankful for the criminal."

"Rou-san." a chef from a nearby eatery stated. "Here." he handed him a box of leftovers.

"I'm sorry you always have to do this." Rou apologized.

"It's alright." the chef replied. "Here."

"You know him?" Megu inquired.

"Sometimes, I give him leftovers from the store." the chef answered. "It's a waste to throw it away."

"Do you know that he was attacked?" Kinta asked.

"Yeah, I do." the chef replied and lit his cigarette. "But, you can sleep without worries now." he told Rou.

"Yeah." Rou nodded in agreement.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Ryu had returned to the dump site where the victims were discarded. "Since he never left any trace, the criminal was careful, a person who's well-learned of crimes." he spoke into his recorder. "And since he threw the body in a garbage dump, he might feel that he's being some sort of a hero. In short, he's someone who's stressed out and had a sense of bravery or justice."

"But that sense is sorely misplaced." Ami's voice interjected.

Ryu turned to his partner, as the power of her Guardian Ring rescinded, the blood red bubble in her palm dispelling.

"You sound tired." Ryu remarked. "Anything?"

"Give me a moment to sort out the images." Ami replied, her mind still reeling from the sudden rush of memories as she stood up. "This is why I never had the reason to use this aspect of my power, not only does it drain a lot out of me, it's also mentally exhausting."

The two teens then turned when they saw Yurie's reflected image on the mirror.

"Go and find out what she wants." Ami told her partner. "I'll be fine."

"I'll come back for you once I'm done." Ryu promised and went off with Yurie.

* * *

In an amusement park...

"Is Pluto involved in this case again?" Ryu asked.

"If so, what will you do?" Yurie inquired.

"As a student of the Detective Academy, I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do." Ryu replied.

"Why are you trying to escape Pluto?" Yurie pressed sa Ryu proceeded to walk off.

"The pain of someone born with the destiny to be a criminal will never be understood by a person like you." Ryu replied. "_She's_ the only one who understands."

"Then, do you really have the intention of making Pluto your enemy?" Yurie inquired. "When Q Class finds out about your identity, do you think they'll accept you with wide open arms? In the end, you're the one who'll be in pain."

Ryu shrugged off her touch and went off.

"I wonder why Hades-sama isn't interfering with Ryu-sama." Yurie voiced as the cleaner-in-disguise Cerberus approached her.

"I'm sure that Hades-sama... Hades-sama has a plan." Cerberus replied.

"But at this rate..." Yurie trailed.

"I have an idea." Cerberus voiced.

* * *

In his office...

"Amakusa Ryu-kun.." Dan-sensei mused, looking at Ryu's photo, before he started coughing. Taking out his handkerchief, he coughed into it. When he let off coughing, the camera moved in to reveal a blood stain on the cloth.

* * *

On the streets...

"The land shark who was killed used a gangster to harass us every day." the store owner replied. "He wanted to take this land forcefully."

"Eh?" Kyu blinked. "Did you encounter any trouble?"

"Yeah." the store owner replied, returning to the kitchen. "They'd come and be loud, and they'll make a scene about how the food is bad. Now I can relax and do my business."

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"No good." Kazuma sighed, shutting his laptop. "I can't think of anything." then, his stomach growled.

* * *

In the cafe...

"Then," Kazuma peered into the display case. "One strawberry dumpling and one marguerite bread roll." he placed his order.

"Could that be your dinner?" Youko voiced.

"Ah!" Kazuma blinked.

"Hm you're a student of the Detective Academy." Youko remarked once the pair sat down.

"Aside from that, I'm also a game creator." Kazuma replied.

"Really?" Youko blinked.

"Oh yeah, Youko-san, here." Kazuma presented her with a sample of his newest game. "This is one of my games that'll be going on sale. It's just a sample, but if you want, you can have it."

"Thank you." Youko took the game box. "What kind of game is this?"

"It's a mystery game, set in Tokyo." Kazuma replied. "I used some sceneries from the city. I've also used some real deduction methods."

"Amazing." Youko noted as Kazuma showed her the photos he took. "You can make something like this."

"Well, in a way, it might actually even be a hit." Kazuma added.

"You can do anything huh?" Youko mused.

"Eh?" Kazuma blinked.

"Because you're creating games and also aiming to be a detective right?" Youko explained.

"No..." Kazuma replied. "Well... that's..."

"As for me, I've loved flowers since I was young." Youko commented. "I didn't think of anything else besides becoming a florist. It's cool to have a lot of things that you want to do."

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"We're back!" Kyu declared as he, Megu and Kinta entered the room as Kazuma pondered over the evidence.

"Ah!" Megu slumped onto the sofa. "We walked all day, you we have zero clues.

"The victims' ages and occupations are different." Kinta added. "Result of the investigation: no connection can be found."

"Yeah." Megu agreed.

"That's not true." Kyu objected. "Both of them have a common feature."

"Eh?" Kinta blinked.

"Both of them are hated by others." Kyu replied. "'I want to take revenge against him.' 'I want to make him suffer.' Hearing the cry of these people's hearts, the criminal might have caused these cases. It's possible, right?"

"The people who were killed were trash of the society." Kinta remarked. "So the criminal tried to become an 'Ally of Justice' and threw them in the garbage dump?"

"Yeah." Kyu nodded. "But I will never acknowledge that kind of criminal. No matter how evil someone is, murder isn't something that can be forgiven. I _will_ catch that criminal."

"If that's the case, then the question is how did the criminal know about their existence?" Megu wondered.

"A slow but sure investigation." Kazuma noted. "Analog as usual, huh?"

"How about you?" Megu turned to the computer genius. "Did you find any information on the net?"

"Not really." Kazuma replied, packing his things.

"You're not even investigating seriously." Megu remarked. "So don't say that."

"I had some game programs and other things to do!" Kazuma protested.

"What are _you_ getting mad for?" Kinta blinked.

"Kazuma?" Kyu voiced as Kazuma walked off. "What's wrong?"

"I'm jealous of you, Kyu." Kazuma stopped in his tracks. "You have no doubts.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked as Kazuma exited.

"What's wrong with him?" Kinta wondered.

* * *

That night...

A teen got down from his bike and started spray-painting on a wall, with loud music blaring in the background.

"Whatcha doin'?" he demanded when someone turned off his player. "Don't just keep quiet, bastard!" he approached the intruder threateningly.

Wordlessly, the hooded man thrust a knife into his stomach. Not allowing him time to escape, the hooded murderer added another injury to the teen's stomach.

* * *

The next day...

"Moroboshi-san." Kyu voiced as Moroboshi and Nekoda exited from the new crime scene.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Moroboshi looked at the three teens.

"What about this time's victim?" Megu asked.

"A delinquent brat in this area." Moroboshi replied. "And why are you answering?" he gave himself a slap.

"Why are you scolding yourself?" Nekoda blinked.

"Excuse me, please stand back." Ochiai apologized to the crowd.

"Oh, Ochiai." Moroboshi noted. "Do you have any interesting information on the scrap murderer? You could be recommended for transfer to the detective department."

"Um, I'm no longer interested in that." Ochiai replied.

"Oh?" Moroboshi was surprised. "Didn't you want to transfer to the detective department?"

"By closely protecting the citizens of this area, I've realized the magnificence of this job." Ochiai replied.

"Oh, is that so?" Moroboshi nodded.

"Excuse me." Ochiai saluted.

"Yeah." Moroboshi nodded.

"The victim's usually the one who shows up at work." an employee voiced behind Kyu and the others.

"It'll finally be quiet." his co-worker added.

"Yeah." the first employee agreed.

"Did the victim frequent your shop?" Kinta asked.

"Almost every night." the first employee replied. "He plays his music loudly in the parking lot. He was a troublesome person, right?"

"Ah!" Megu gasped, noticing the match book in the second employee's hand as he lit up his cigarette. "That match book!"

"What about it?" Kyu inquired.

"Yesterday, the guy from the Soba Store who fed the homeless person had it too." Megu replied. "The ramen store had the same matches."

"Um, where did you get these matches?" Kyu asked the second employee.

"This?" the second employee gestured. "Ah, it's from one of the clubs I go to."

"Could it be... you talked about the victim in that club?" Kyu wondered.

"Ah, yeah I might have." the employee noted and Kyu nodded his thanks.

"We found it, huh?" Megu remarked. "The common point of this case."

"The criminal found the information about the victims at that club." Kyu reasoned.

* * *

That night, in the club...

"Everyone looks suspicious." Megu noted.

"What's with your outfit?" Kyu noticed Megu's clothes.

"If I look like a kid, I'll be looked down upon." Megu replied. "Hey." she voiced.

"Huh?" Kyu blinked.

"That guy's been wandering aimlessly around the club." Megu spotted a man.

"Eh?" Kyu exclaimed. "Kinta?" he blinked when Kinta approached the man.

"Kinta!" the two men hugged after awhile. "It's been awhile!"

"Hey, you were working here, huh?" Kinta noted.

"I'm a manager!" the man replied. "A hiring manager!"

"I see." Kinta grinned widely.

"Kinta!" Haruka raised her glass.

"Oh, you're here too, Haruka." Kinta looked over. "It's been awhile!" he turned back to his male friend.

"Looks like they're all friends huh?" Megu mused.

* * *

In the bar that housed the Mission Room...

"Hey." the counter assistant started as Kazuma played darts on the board. "Is it okay if you don't investigate with the others?"

* * *

In the club...

"Scrap murderer huh?" Kinta's male friend remarked, seeing the newspaper clipping.

"Do you know any suspicious people?" Kinta asked.

"There's a lot of people who go in and out." Kinta's friend replied.

"Then how about someone who might be targeted?" Megu inquired.

"Someone who might be targeted?" Kinta's friend echoed. "Ah! Lately, there's been a woman who comes here frequently. She has a 'Peeping Room' website. Those who access it are being scammed, and there are people who are bitter about it."

"What's a 'Peeping Room' website?" Megu wondered.

"A site in which a camera is set up in a woman's room, producing a 24 hour show that shows her even when she's sleeping or changing." Haruka supplied.

"Hey, do you know her name?" Kinta inquired.

* * *

In Tamura's room...

"Ah hello?" Tamura called. "I'm Tamura and I've ordered before. I want to add something."

* * *

In Kanda Florist...

"Okay, it's Tamura-sama, right?" Youko asked over the phone. "Please wait a minute. I'll prepare the voucher. Alright." she placed down the phone.

* * *

Outside Tamura's apartment building...

The scrap murderer was keeping watch.

* * *

In the club...

"She's on the phone." Megu noted after Haruka accessed the site on her laptop as Kinta called Kazuma on the phone.

* * *

In the bar that housed the Mission Room...

"Hello?" Kazuma answered the call.

"It's me." Kinta replied. "Find the address of the owner of this site I'm about to tell you."

"Eh?" Kazuma blinked.

* * *

In Tamura's room...

"Yes?" Tamura called when her doorbell rang. "Ah, hang on a sec." she requested over the phone.

* * *

In the club...

"Hm?" Kyu blinked as Tamura walked out of her room.

* * *

In front of Tamura's door...

Tamura gasped when the scrap murderer held her in a chokehold and locked the door.

* * *

In the club...

"Kinta!" Kyu called when he saw the scrap murderer appear onscreen as he tossed Tamura onto the floor.

"The bastard showed up!" Kinta growled.

"Ah!" the group gasped when the scrap murderer disconnected the camera, the image fizzling out.

"Hello." Kinta took the call.

* * *

In the bar that housed the Mission Room...

"I found the address." Kazuma reported.

* * *

In her room...

"Someone!" Tamura flung open her window as the scrap murderer grabbed her. "Help! You..."

* * *

In the club...

"Thanks." Kinta jotted down the address. "You're a great help. It's near." he told the rest. "Tell Officer Moroboshi right away." he told the younger teens.

"Okay." Kyu nodded as Kinta hurried off.

* * *

In her room...

Tamura was flinging anything she could find at the scrap murderer in an attempt to defend herself.

"Help!" she screamed, knocking the murderer's knife away with a pillow.

"Madam, is something wrong?" Youko inquired over the cellphone.

His main weapon gone, the murderer caught the fleeing Tamura and started to strangle her.

"Madam, madam." Youko echoed over the phone after Tamura's dead body dropped onto the bed. "Hello, madam?"

Realizing that the person on the other side of the line might have heard something discriminatory, the murderer ended the call.

* * *

In front of Tamura's door...

Kinta had arrived at the door, only to find it locked.

"Hey, open up!" he pounded on the door. Finding a fire extinguisher nearby, he pried the door open and burst into the room. Finding no one, he tried the window to find it locked, before hearing the water gushing in the bathroom.

"Hey!" he tried to shake Tamura awake once he switched off the water hose. "Hey! Hey! Are you okay? Hey!"

"Police!" Ochiai voiced in the doorway.

"Police Officer." Kinta turned to Ochiai who had hurried in.

"I'll arrest you, red-handed murderer!" Ochiai declared.

"Huh?" Kinta blinked as Ochiai manhandled him. "Hey! You're wrong! Stop it! Hey!"

* * *

Later...

"Ouch!" Nekoda winced, kneeling beside the body. "How scary."

"And the criminal?" Ami asked as Ryu returned to the room.

"You're sure the room was locked, right?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Yeah, isn't that why I broke the knob?" Kinta asked.

"Kinta." Ryu voiced. "There really wasn't anyone in this room?"

"Yeah." Kinta nodded. "As you can see, there's really no place to hide in here."

"Then, that means the criminal took the keys with him?" Moroboshi reasoned.

"Moroboshi-san." Nekoda cut in. "The room key was found in the victim's tea jar. The spare key was in the room too."

"Eh?" Moroboshi gasped. "What?"

"So you're saying that this was a sealed room?" Megu concluded.

"Not possible." Ami objected.

"Good job." Ochiai saluted the incoming officers.

"Did you come here on Moroboshi-san's order?" Kyu wondered.

"No, there was an anonymous tip." Ochiai replied.

"And so you mistook Kinta as the murderer?" Ami mused.

"I jumped to conclusions." Ochiai admitted. "I'm very sorry." he apologized to Kinta.

"Ochiai, you can go back now." Moroboshi informed.

"Then, please excuse me." Ochiai saluted.

"And another thing, we can't find the victim's cellphone." Nekoda added.

"Huh?" Moroboshi echoed.

"When the criminal barged in, the victim was talking someone on her cellphone." Megu supplied.

"Eh?" Nekoda blinked.

"Yeah, so that means the criminal must've taken the cellphone." Kyu reasoned.

"Then maybe the person on the other line, heard the full details of the crime." Megu surmised.

"If that's the case," Ryu started.

"Then that person is in danger." Ami finished the sentence.

"Hey Nekoda, hurry and find out who it is." Moroboshi instructed.

"Okay!" Nekoda hurried off.

* * *

On the streets...

The scrap murderer redialed Tamura's last dialed number.

"Hello, this is Florist Kanda." Youko voiced over the voice recorder. "We are now closed for the day. Our business hours are from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. Please try again tomorrow."

Growling, the scrap murderer ended the call.

* * *

On his way home...

"A sealed room is impossible." Kyu mused. "But there's no place for a person to hide in that room." He stopped in his tracks when he heard a whistling tune.

"You're Kyu-kun from the Detective Academy, right?" Cerberus inquired.

"Yes." Kyu blinked.

"Do you know Amakusa Ryu's real identity?" Cerberus posted a question.

"Eh?" Kyu echoed.

"You should try to find out his motive for entering the Detective Academy." Cerberus suggested. "I'm sure you'll find a very interesting answer. Let's meet again someday. That's our destiny after all." Snorting, he walked off, leaving a befuddled Kyu behind.

* * *

The next morning...

Youko opened the shutter of the flower shop, unaware that she was being watched.

"Hmm, so you're sighing because of her." Megu noted, peering into the shop upon hearing Kazuma's sigh. "So that's why you're buying flowers every day. I didn't know you were interested in older girls."

"Wait, come over here, Megu." Kazuma dragged her off. "Keep it a secret from everyone else."

"Isn't it, 'Please keep it a secret.'?" Megu corrected.

"Please keep it a secret." Kazuma repeated his request.

"Stop hesitating, go inside and confess your love." Megu chided.

"That's not what I'm stressing out about." Kazuma protested.

"Then what is it?" Megu asked. "I don't know why you're distressed." she added after Kazuma refused to answer. "But your feelings won't reach her if you don't put it in words. You'll only be in pain. You want to tell her something, right?"

"Megu." Kazuma started.

"Once you get an answer, tell me everything, okay?" Megu nodded. "I'll tease you a lot. go." she pushed Kazuma towards the shop. "Bye!" she turned to go.

* * *

In front of Tamura's door...

"Ryu, Ami, you were curious it too?" Kyu asked, finding the pair in front of the door.

"Yeah." Ryu replied.

"As I've said last night, a sealed room murder isn't possible." Ami added.

"There should be some sort of secret." Ryu remarked.

"But man, Kinta sure did a number on the knob." Ami joked, looking at the damaged handle and entered the room, followed by Ryu.

Kyu hesitated for awhile, recalling Cerberus' words from last night. Shaking off any doubts from his mind, he entered the room.

"The scrap murderer's crime ends by throwing the victim in the garbage dump." Ryu voiced.

"As for this one, however, he threw the body into a bath." Ami added, the trio turning to the bathtub. "Why did the criminal break the crime pattern?"

"It's because an unexpected accident occurred." Ryu answered her question.

"Kinta showed up outside the room, right?" Kyu realized.

"Yeah." Ryu replied.

"When Kinta came running here, the criminal was in this room." Kyu concluded.

"The question is, where was he hiding?" Ryu mused.

"There's no place you can use to set up a trick to hide yourself." Kyu added.

"Mirror?" Ami frowned, kneeling in front of the dressing room mirror beside the table.

"Eh?" both boys looked at her.

"Why is a dresser mirror here?" Kyu wondered. "The color is different because it's covered from the sun." he looked over at the wall.

"Then, the mirror was hanging there." Ami surmised.

"But why?" Kyu mused.

"Mirror Trick!" the three chorused after a while.

"We really need to stop doing that." Ami shook her head.

"Doing what?" both boys asked in unison.

"That." Ami pointed.

"What?" the two boys chorused.

"Never mind." Ami sighed.

"The scrap murderer used that mirror." Kyu concluded. "This room's floor and wall had the same color. When the mirror was placed diagonally, it reflected the floor and hid the criminal. Then when Kinta headed for the bathroom because he heard the shower, the criminal went out."

"But it's weird." Ryu voiced. "Didn't the police come in right after Kinta did? Why didn't the police notice the criminal?"

"There's only one person who was able to leave this room without arousing suspicion." Ami stated, getting up.

"Eh?" Ryu looked at his partner.

"I know who did it." Kyu realized Ami's implication.

"Yeah." Ami nodded. "It could only be _that guy_."

* * *

In front of Kanda Florist...

"Ah, welcome." Youko greeted Kazuma as she stopped watering the pots.

"Hello." Kazuma replied.

"What's wrong?" Youko wondered when Kazuma sighed. "Kazuma-kun? Here." she handed him a glass of orange juice after they settled down

"Thank you very much." Kazuma took the glass. "There's something I wanted to tell you."

"What is it?" Youko wondered.

"The truth is, I have no drive in becoming a game creator." Kazuma confessed. "Lately, I've been sick and tired of it. Even as a detective, if I were asked if I really want to be one, I'd probably have a hard time answering. That's why, I'm not the type of person who deserves your compliments. I don't know where I belong."

"I was like that too, Kazuma-kun." Youko admitted.

"Eh?" Kazuma blinked.

"I didn't know where I belonged." Youko added. "But, when I realized that I liked flowers, while touching them and studying them, I just naturally felt that it's what I want to do. Where you belong isn't something you look for or find. Maybe the life you've chosen will suddenly become the place where you belong?"

"Youko-san..." Kazuma started.

"I have some donuts." Youko offered. "Want some?"

"Yes." Kazuma nodded. "And another thing... can you tell me your email address?"

"Sure." Youko nodded. "Then tell me yours too."

"Okay." Kazuma nodded and the two exchanged email addresses.

* * *

At the police station...

"Using the mirror trick that I've just explained and assuming that the criminal ran out, "Ochiai-san should have bumped into the criminal." Kyu continued his explanation. "However, Ochiai-san didn't see the criminal. There's only one answer that will solve this contraindication. The one who was hiding there was Ochiai-san himself."

"Then, the identity of the scrap murderer was..." Moroboshi gasped.

"That's right." Ami nodded. "It's Ochiai-san."

"Alright." Moroboshi told his subordinate. "Then prepare an arrest warrant immediately."

"Ah, ah okay!" the two officers hurried off.

* * *

Inside Kanda Florist...

"Florist Kanda, hello?" Youko took the call.

"Can you deliver one bouquet of flowers to a funeral?" Ochiai requested outside the store. "Deliver it to..."

"I understand." Youko nodded. "I'll deliver them right away. Sorry, I have a delivery to make." she informed Kazuma.

"Please don't worry about it." Kazuma assured. "I'll email you later, okay?"

"Yeah." Youko nodded. "Later then."

* * *

In the factory...

"Excuse me." Youko voiced, entering the factory. "Delivery from Florist Kanda.

Ochiai suddenly appeared behind her and chloroformed the florist.

* * *

On the streets...

"Alright." Kazuma nodded. "I got Youko-san's email address. Hello?" he answered his cellphone.

* * *

At the police station...

"Kazuma." Megu informed. "Youko-san is in danger."

* * *

On the streets...

"Eh?" Kazuma blinked. "What do you mean?"

* * *

At the police station...

"By chance and over the phone, she heard the scarp murderer while he was committing the crime." Megu explained. "I phoned there, but she left to deliver something and nobody knows where she is."

* * *

On the streets...

"Eh?" Kazuma exclaimed.

* * *

In the factory...

Youko awoke and found herself tied to a chair. Looking through the window, she saw a building and recalled one of Kazuma's photos. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her cellphone and snapped a picture, sending it to Kazuma.

Upon hearing the chime, Ochiai looked up and grabbed the cellphone.

* * *

On the streets...

"Youko-san!" Kazuma gasped, receiving the picture on his cellphone. "This place is..." he connected his cellphone to his laptop and activated the search engine. "The only place you can see this building form this direction, it's this abandoned factory! Kyu, Youko-san is in an abandoned parts factory." he informed the group, dashing off to save Youko. "I'm going ahead."

* * *

At the police station...

"Kazuma is going alone to where Youko-san is." Kyu told the group.

"Eh?" Kinta echoed.

"I'm really going to have a _long_ talk with him about heading out alone after this." Ami muttered as the team hurried off.

* * *

In the factory...

"Useless effort." Ochiai remarked, shutting the cellphone. "Ah! Last night, did you hear anything from that trash woman? Did you tell anyone?"

"What are you talking about?" Youko asked.

"If you're lying just like that, then you're also trash." Ochiai told her. "You're also trash." he rested his blade against her neck. "Trash."

Arriving at the scene first and seeing Ochiai circling Youko, Kazuma quickly made a decision.

"Stop it!" he called, stopping Ochiai from stabbing Youko.

"Who the heck are you?" Ochiai glared.

"I've told the police that you're here." Kazuma replied. "You can't run away anymore, scrap murderer."

"Are you going to get in my way too?" Ochiai inquired. "Then, I'll deal with you first."

"Kazuma-kun, run!" Youko warned as Ochiai changed his target.

Delivering a kick to Kazuma's stomach, Ochiai raised his blade to finish the teen off.

"Kazuma!" Kyu hollered, arriving with Ryu and Megu in tow.

"You guys..." Ochiai looked at the new arrivals. "Are from the Detective Academy."

"I can't believe that you're the criminal." Kyu voiced. "Why? Why would a police office like you...?"

"It's because I'm a police officer that I did what I'm supposed to do." Ochiai replied.

"Huh?" Kyu gasped.

"No matter how I tried to convince the police, 'Wrong jurisdiction', 'A damage report hasn't been submitted.'. Nobody is giving justice by saying those things. That's why I cleaned up the trash. Look around you. Everyone's happy that they're dead."

"Then what about Youko-san?" Kyu asked. "What did Youko-san and Kazuma do? Are you saying that killing someone innocent for your sake is right? That's just weird. It's wrong. No matter how hard you try to administer justice, with that selfish egoistic reasoning, taking other people's lives cannot be forgiven. We will never acknowledge you. You're just a murderer!"

"No!" Ochiai objected and approached the three.

Backing off, Kyu gave Kinta and Ami who had hidden upstairs a nod. Waiting for the right moment, the two fighters pounced. Kinta delivered a elbow jab on Ochiai's back as Ami grabbed Ochiai's weapon. Backflipping, she landed on her feet, the blade safely in her grip.

"So, who's taking him?" she looked at Kinta as Ochiai stumbled up. "Guess that answers that question." she muttered when Kinta took off after Ochiai.

In the darkness of the storage area, Ochiai delivered a kick to Kinta's stomach. Kinta stumbled, barely managing to dodge a punch from his opponent. The two faced off and Kinta grabbed the dangling wire, using it as leverage to send Ochiai a flying kick. Turning a corner, Ochiai delivered a kick to Kinta who was chasing him, forcing some distance between them, after which Kinta delivered a left-cross against Ochiai's cheek.

"Are you alright?" Megu asked as Ami unsheathed her knife and sliced through Youko's binds with a single cut.

Meanwhile, having kicked Kinta to the ground, Ochiai pulled out his revolver and trained it on Kinta.

Kyu came in from behind and delivered a kick to Ochiai's crotch.

Taking the opening, Kinta knocked the gun out of Ochiai's hand and sent him to the ground with a elbow jab to the back.

"Kazuma, are you okay?" Kyu hurried over to the injured Kazuma after Ochiai was dealt with.

"Ah, yeah." Kazuma winced.

"It's because you tried to do something unreasonable by yourself." Kyu joked.

"When I thought, 'I have to save Youko-chan.', my body acted by itself." Kazuma replied, letting Kyu help him up.

"Analog." Kyu grinned and pushed Kazuma towards Youko.

"Youko-san." Kazuma voiced.

"Thank you." Youko gave Kazuma a hug. "Thank you, Kazuma-kun. Thank you."

"Guess we'll be teasing him a lot after this." Ami gave Megu a knowing grin.

"Agreed." Megu nodded as the police sirens sounded.

"Ochiai!" Moroboshi declared as Ochiai struggled in the arresting officer's grasp. "We won't be lenient. Prepare yourself." With the handcuffs slapped on him, Cerberus' hypnosis was activated. "Ochiai! What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Nekoda replied, steadying Ochiai.

"Hey!" Moroboshi started.

"Okay." Nekoda nodded and he pulled Ochiai into the police vehicle with the help of the arresting officer.

* * *

Aside...

"What happened to that man's disposal?" Yurie asked.

"The moment his hands are cuffed, he'll forget all of his memories." Cerberus replied. "I've used a very powerful hypnosis."

"At any rate, I'm very worried about Ryu-sama." Yurie voiced.

"I've planted the seed." Cerberus informed. "After that, Kyu-kun and the gang will probably nurture it."

"Thanks for the photograph." Nanami-sensei snorted, snapping the photographic evidence on his high-speed camera.

* * *

As the police cars drove off...

"Okay, let's go home too." Kinta suggested, the group nodding in agreement.

"I need my coffee." Ami muttered, splitting off from the group.

"Ryu." Kyu voiced once everyone else was out of earshot. "Yesterday, a man came up to me and said something strange. He asked me, 'Do you know Amakusa Ryu's real identity?' What was that about?"

"Right now, I don't want to talk about it yet." Ryu replied.

"Okay." Kyu added, as Ryu took off in the same direction Ami went. "I won't rush you anymore. So, I'll wait until you want to talk. Okay?"

Ryu remained silent and walked off.

"What are the odds that it's Cerberus' doing?" Ami noted once Ryu caught up with her. "They sure act fast, casting seeds of doubt already. There's really nothing much you can do about it, you'll just have to trust everyone." she gave him an encouraging smile.

* * *

The next day...

"Morning!" Kyu called as he and Kinta entered the Mission Room. "Huh?" he blinked when Megu hushed them and noticing Kazuma's downcast expression. "What's wrong with Kazuma?"

"Well you know." Megu whispered. "Youko-san is getting married."

"Eh?" Kinta gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Then, Kazuma was rejected?" Kyu echoed.

"I didn't really confess to her, so you can't say I was rejected." Kazuma protested.

"What a sore loser." Kinta remarked.

"Hello?" Kazuma took the call when his cellphone rang. "Yes, I'm really sorry. Regarding game creation, please let me take a break for a while. Right now, there's something I really want to do. Excuse me."

"What is it you really want to do, Kazuma?" Kyu wondered.

"Digital or analog, I won't lost to any of you!" Kazuma declared.

"What's that?" Kyu peered at the poster Kazuma presented.

"Detective Development Plaster." Kazuma replied. "If I have this, I'll have physical strength that'll surpass Kinta's."

Ami sighed and fell sideways onto the sofa.

"If you have time to do this, then train your chest or something." Kinta chided, snatching the poster.

"You're exerting effort on the wrong thing." Megu agreed as Kinta passed the poster to her. "Here you go!" she dodged Kazuma and returned the poster to Kinta.

Kyu moved away from the group and looked at the chair Ryu normally occupied.

* * *

Elsewhere...

Ryu leaned against a railing on a bridge, thinking of the conversation he had with Ami the previous day.

* * *

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.


	4. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Four

SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 3 goes up. This is Chapter 4 and no review. No one is reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope and her current muse): Great, now you non-reviewing readers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Turns non-reviewing readers' faces into chessboards)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 4: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Four

* * *

Time passes, in the Shibusawa Academy...

A female student was returning to the girls' dormitory when she realized she had forgotten something in the classroom, so she returned back to her class to take the item. Entering the now empty classroom, she flipped on the lights and went to her desk to take her textbook, when suddenly someone flipped the lights off.

"Who's there?" she asked. "Is someone out there?"

In response, she saw a hooded shadow from the mirror panel of the door and the person entered the room, a video camera in one hand and a docked crossbow in another. Raising the weapon, the masked person fired an arrow at the fleeing girl, stopping her in her tracks. With a scream, she fled to the corridor and down the staircase, her mysterious pursuer following closely behind.

"No." she hurried down the stairway to the gates, only to find them locked. Left with no choice, she ran to the back door, only to find her pursuer had been waiting for her. With his target in sight, the hooded chaser closed in on the terrified girl. Horrified, the girl then ran up the stairway on the side of the school, bumping into a security guard in the process.

"What's wrong?" the guard tried to calm the terrified student down. "What happened?"

"NO!" the girls screamed, seeing a flash of her pursuer.

* * *

On the streets...

"Here's your king-sized." the ice shaving seller passed Kyu his order. "Thank you very much."

"Delicious!" Kyu took a bite and hurried off to the Mission Room. "Sweet!"

"Hello." the waitress at the front door greeted him.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Morning!" Kyu called, bursting into the room, only to find the others in various degrees of sweatiness. "What's with this room? Why is it this hot?"

"The air conditioning is old and is not working anymore." Ami replied from her place on the sofa.

"Let's ask Dan-sensei for a new one." Megu suggested.

"Is it okay for an Akihabara internet idol to be that slutty?" Kazuma inquired, coming to the table.

"What do you mean?" Megu was puzzled.

"I saw your blog." Kazuma replied.

"Eh?" Megu blinked. "What's this?" she looked at the website on Kazuma's laptop.

"For Megu to have a blog..." Kazuma trailed. "They say that people have different faces, but... really scary..."

"I don't know anything about this." Megu protested.

"You're just being shy." Kazuma chided.

"No way!" Megu objected. "I won't make something like this!"

"Ah, hey." Kyu blinked when Kazuma went to the photo gallery section.

"Eh?" Megu inquired.

"They all look like peeping photos, right?" Kyu pointed out.

"Peeping photos?" Megu echoed.

"She's not looking at the camera." Kinta agreed.

"Hm, could it be?" Kazuma mused.

"What?" Megu turned to him.

"This might be the work of someone who admires you." Kazuma concluded.

"What do you mean?" Megu prodded.

"In other words, someone who wants to be like Megu and made a blog and pretended to be Megu." Ami supplied. "After all, you can become your ideal girl on the internet."

"But of all people, why Megu?" Kazuma wondered.

"Then, that means another Megu exists on the online?" Kyu concluded.

"Throwing yourself aside and becoming a different person..." Ryu stated. "How retarded."

"People like this are scary when they're aggravated." Kazuma added.

"Kazuma, Ryu, when in a hole," Ami grinned, catching both boys' attention. "Don't dig." her grin widened.

"Stop it!" Megu chided the computer genius. "That's sick! Please, Kazuma, find out who made this right away."

"I'll pretend to be Megu and bring that person out." Kazuma suggested.

"But lately, there's an increase in inept and brainless people." Kinta remarked.

"Touyama!" Nanami-sensei entered the room. "Someone so young shouldn't have such a listless attitude."

"Will wonders never cease," Ami smirked. "He's actually normal, for once."

"Nanami-sensei." Kinta blinked. "And what's with your outfit?"

"Today, I have a little date." Nanami-sensei replied.

"With who?" Kyu pressed.

"As beautiful as a rose, but underneath sharp thorns lie." Nanami-sensei pulled out Yurie's picture. "A scary woman."

"Somehow, something tells me this won't end well." Ami remarked.

"Your expression and words don't match at all." Megu agreed.

"It's hot in here." Nanami-sensei changed the subject. "Anyway, there is a new order from Dan-sensei." he pulled out the mission disc.

"Members of Q Class." Dan-sensei came on screen, the group standing at attention. "How do you do? This time, I'll like you to investigate a certain rumor. On the internet, a site called Net Lore introduced urban legends. Lately, there's an entry there that has become a huge topic. According to that entry, there's a murderer called 'The Collector' who has been killing young women and recording it on video. Also at Shibusawa Academy where 'The Collector' is said to lurk around, a girl named Ogura Emina has been missing for a month now. Moreover, a different girl was almost murdered in school a few days ago. And a video of that was broadcast over the internet. In this series of incidents, I have a bad feeling that something dreadful will happen. With your abilities, expose the truth behind the rumors about 'The Collector' and its connection with this incident. I pray for your success."

"So then, Q Class, move out." Nanami-sensei announced.

"Yes sir!" the group chorused.

* * *

In the Shibusawa Academy...

"Well then, I'll introduce the transfer students and a returning student." Murasaki Misato stated. "Minami Megumi-san, Amakusa Ryu-kun, Mizuno -san and..."

"I'm Kyu." Kyu took over. "Yoroshiku onegaishiumasu."

"I'm Amakusa Ryu." Ryu continued. "Yoroshiku."

"Mizuno Ami." Ami glared. "Look but don't touch."

"I'm Minami Megumi, call me Megu." Megu posed. "Yoroshiku! What's with them?" she blinked. "How awful."

"Some things will never change." Ami sighed when the class focused on their books.

"I don't understand at all." Megu blinked as Murasaki-sensei wrote the equations on the blackboard.

"Let's lay low and be quiet so we don't get picked." Kyu whispered.

"Who's talking there?" Murasaki-sensei snapped.

"You're really slow." Megu winced, the two dropping their books.

"Huh?" Kyu blinked.

"Was it you?" Murasaki-sensei asked.

"No... I... no... right?" Kyu stammered.

"I'm sorry." Ryu and Ami apologized simultaneously.

"These are two sample problems from the Tokyo University entrance exam." Murasaki-sensei told the pair. "If you two can't solve these within 10 minutes, you won't be able to catch up with this class's lesson."

"Impossible." Megu muttered. "We're only in second year junior high."

Wordlessly, Ryu went to the first problem written on the chalkboard, leaving Ami with the second one. Ryu started writing his solution, but Ami just stared at the problem. When Ryu was already on his third equation line, Anhara Ami her head to one side and began writing. She wrote a single-line equation, equated it to an answer which she encircled, and put down the chalk.

Murasaki-sensei's eyes widened at the girl's answer. _Where did she learn how to solve it that way?_

Clearing her throat, she remarked, "Mizuno-san, I haven't taught the class how to solve using that method."

A single "oh" came from Ami before she picked up the chalk again. "You wanted me to write the long equation. Sorry about that, sensei," she apologized and started to write equation after equation in her neat penmanship, filling nearly a quarter the board and ending up with the same answer she had before.

Murasaki-sensei cleared her throat again after she had finished, and picked up another piece of chalk. "Our lesson consists only up to this part for now," she explained, drawing a horizontal line halfway through the long equation. "The rest, and the equation Mizuno-san used, will be taught on your senior year here in high school."

She looked at Ami, "Good job, Mizuno-san. You may take your seat."

Kameda observed the girl as she walked back to her seat. Sticking a foot out, he had planned to trip her and embarrass her in class when Ami hopped over the extended foot, revealing not only the plain, black boxers she wore, and also the lethal bowie knife strapped to her thigh.

Glaring at him, Ami told him frostily, "That's just a tad too childish for high school, don't you think?" and returned to her seat as if nothing had happened.

Up front, Ryu had finished his question.

_Me thinks there's some research to be done here._ He mused.

"Sensei?" he started. "Is this alright?"

"It's perfect." Murasaki-sensei gaped, the rest of the class gaping in awe.

* * *

On the rooftop...

"How did you do that?" Kyu asked.

"You won't looking?" Megu exclaimed.

"No." Kyu replied.

"Like this, and this and then this." Megu gestured.

"Um, don't give us away immediately at the self-introduction." Kyu remarked. "I was really nervous."

"Ryu and Ami are really smart." Megu commented. "I'm relieved they're with us unlike someone else."

"I'm only in second year junior high." Kyu defended. "I can't possibly solve a Tokyo University question. Ryu and Ami are just special."

"They'll become popular with the rest of the school populace." Megu noted.

"Ryu, Ami, say something to her." Kyu whined.

"You two," Ami started.

"We're pretending to be high school students." Ryu added, putting down his book. "So change your childish ways."

"Remind me again why we put up with them?" Ami looked at her partner.

"Who knows." Ryu shrugged at the girl sitting on the wall beside him.

"This is off-limits." a voice sounded.

"We're sorry." Kyu turned."Ah. Kinta, what's with your outfit?"

"Eh?" Kinta echoed. "With this, I can investigate in the school without arousing suspicion, right?"

"He's got a point." Ami grinned, jumping off the wall.

"Oh, Kazuma." Kinta answered the call.

"It's regarding the entry about 'The Collector'." Kazuma replied as the rest clustered around.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Most of it was posted from the Shibusawa Academy." Kazuma reported.

"It is true?" Megu asked.

"Additionally, it might be coming from the same person." Kazuma added.

"What do you mean?" Kyu inquired.

"I tried to analyze the posts, that person is always posting on the same days of the week and the sentences are strangely well-regulated." Kazuma replied. "It's possible that one person is pretending to be a lot of people in order to fire up the rumor."

* * *

On the rooftop...

"In short, 'acting a charade'." Ryu concluded.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Not knowing a person's face and name is the internet's feature after all." Kazuma added. "For example, if you want to corner someone, one person can fire up a bad rumor easily."

* * *

On the rooftop...

"But why would someone do that?" Kyu wondered.

"Find something more and report back, Kazuma." Ami instructed, slipping back into the leadership role.

"Alright." Kazuma nodded and ended the call.

"Something's really going on in this school." Megu remarked.

A glint caught Ami's eye and the girl turned to see a flash disappearing.

* * *

In the classroom...

"Hey, where did our transfer students go?" Tominaga inquired. "I"m the class representative, Tominaga. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me."

"Okay, thank you." Kyu nodded.

"And this is the girl's representative." Tominaga gestured to Touya.

"Touya Kuniko." Touya replied. "Douzo yoroshiku onegaishiumasu."

"Same here." Megu added, she and Kyu bowed in greeting. "Yoroshiku onegaishiumasu."

"What's with that stiff greeting?" Asabuki chided. "I'm Asabuki Maya. Yoroshiku."

"Same here." Kyu nodded.

"Ah okay." Megu shook her hand. "Yeah?" she blinked when Asabuki pulled her aside.

"Megu, are you friends with Amakusa-kun?" Asabuki whispered.

"No, not really." Megu replied. "I just met him before."

"Does he have a girlfriend?" Asabuki pressed. "He does, right? With his good looks, of course he does. He's also smart."

"I wonder." Megu replied. "He's quite close to Mizuno-san."

"Surely, he's going to be on top on the next test." Asabuki noted. "Kameda," she looked over at the bookworm. "Aren't you excited about the next test?"

"You're right." Kameda replied. "Ever since Ogura disappeared, it's been boring since I had no competition. It's been a while since I've been this motivated." he packed his books and left. "What's with him?" he growled on the corridor. "I can't lose." before meeting his adversary on the hallway and sized up to the unfazed Ryu.

"Who's Ogura-san?" Megu inquired.

"Ah, it's Ogura Emina." Asabuki replied. "She always had the top grades in this school. One month ago, she suddenly disappeared from school."

"Kameda always treated Ogura like an enemy." Tominaga added.

"Yeah." Asabuki agreed. "There's even a rumor that he's involved with the disappearance of Emina."

* * *

In the hallway...

Ryu gave the taunting Kameda a cool look, unnerving the bespectacled teen and Kameda walked off.

"Now that's an interesting confrontation." Ami smirked in amusement. "You'd think he'd back off by now, with my underlying threat in the morning."

* * *

In the classroom...

"No." Tominaga corrected. "Emina was probably killed by 'The Collector' after all."

"Tominaga, you're saying that again?" Asabuki echoed.

"But it has become a huge thing online." Tominaga pointed out.

"Hey, what do you mean by _killed_?" Kyu asked.

"There's a rumor on the net that a student of this school was killed by a murderer called 'The Collector'." Tominaga replied. "Also, it seems that someone saw that murder video."

"It seems?" Megu echoed. "But no one sure it for sure, right?"

"Yeah." Tominaga agreed. "But last week, a third-year student was almost killed at school and because of shock, she dropped out of school."

"Someone probably imitated 'The Collector' to play as an evil prank." Asabuki suggested.

"No, I'm sure 'The Collector' is in this school." Tominaga insisted.

"Touya-san, what do you think?" Megu turned to the silent one of the group.

"I..." Touya started. "Don't know."

"But, if there's really a crazy murderer, it's probably that person, right?" Asabuki reasoned.

"Who's _that_ person?" Megu inquired.

"After school, you'll meet him even if you don't want to." Tominaga replied.

* * *

Later in the boys' dormitory...

"I'll introduce you to our dormitory Head." Tominaga told the two male transfer students. "Ah, Sakuma-san?" he knocked on the door. "I brought the transfer students. Excuse me." he quickly excused himself when Sakuma approached the door.

"I'm Sakuma, third-year student." Sakuma looked at the two over his video-cam. "Yoroshiku."

"Ah, thank you." Kyu nodded.

"You're interested in my collection?" Sakuma asked, noticing the two boys' glances in his room filled of horror movie stuff. "Right?"

"I'm... scared." Kyu admitted.

"Then, I'll show you around." Sakuma replied. "Hey, Amakusa-kun." he added, his video cam still trained on the two boys. "The whole school is talking about you and Mizuno. 'An incredible prodigy transferred here, and the resident 'Ice Queen' has returned.'"

"What do you mean?" Ryu asked.

"Each student in this school has a computer." Sakuma replied. "They always check the BBS when they get back to their dorm rooms. You should be careful."

"What do you mean by that?" Kyu inquired.

"Smart kids are accepted but hated." Sakuma supplied. "It's the same with first-year Ogura Emina who disappeared. Mizuno protects herself with that ice-cold, frigid stare of hers."

* * *

In the girls' dormitory...

"So the girls' dormitory head is Touya-san." Megu remarked.

"I was forced to." Touya replied. "But I have free time since I don't study or have any friends. Ah, here." she led the two girls to Megu's room. "And Kimura-san's room is still the same."

"Thank you." Megu noted. "What kind of person is Ogura-san?" she asked, noticing Ogura-san's room was beside hers.

"She was really a wonderful person." Touya replied. "She wasn't just smart, but she was also kind to everyone. She was popular in class."

"Is that so?" Megu remarked.

"Except, she seemed to be having problems with her family." Touya added.

"What do you mean?" Megu inquired.

"She was always complaining that they're strict and that she has no freedom." Touya replied.

"You were close to Ogura-san." Ami noted.

"Ah no, it's not like that." Touya protested. "Excuse me." she excused herself.

* * *

In the boys' dormitory...

"This is Amakusa's room." Sakuma stated.

"This feels good." Kyu flopped onto the bed. "It's good."

"Did someone come in?" Sakuma wondered, looking at the computer.

Kyu clicked the mouse and played the video. "Could this be a murder video?" he inquired.

"No." Sakuma corrected. "This is just a scene from a movie. I think it was '100 Murders of a Perverted Clan', an indie movie that was made in 1999."

"But who would play this prank?" Kyu mused.

"Someone started it already." Sakuma remarked. "The fun has just begun, right?"

* * *

That night...

"There was a murder video on Ryu's computer?" Megu echoed, the five detectives returning to the classroom.

"From the keyboard and mouse, I was able to get the culprit's fingerprints." Ryu replied.

"Now, we just have to compare it to the fingerprints left in the classroom." Kyu added.

"Eh?" Kinta blinked. "You're going to search all the classrooms?"

"Don't worry." Ryu assured. "I know who the culprit might be."

"This is the desk of that Kameda guy." Megu noted as Ryu lifted the fingerprints off the table.

"There's no doubt about it." Ryu concluded when the results showed up on the laptop. "The one who played a prank on me was Kameda."

* * *

In his room...

"I'll do whatever it takes." Kameda swore, typing furiously on his keyboard. "Transfer student, I'll chase you out. Just like what I did then. No matter what it takes." when a knock on his door alerted him. "Who is it?" he demanded and switched off the screen to answer the door. "Oh, it's you. Do you want me to teach you math? Huh? Math?"

His questions were answered by a knock to the head by a dumbbell, and Kameda was knocked out.

* * *

The next day...

"Eh, today, we're start with composite function on page 37." Murasaki-sensei started.

"Um sensei." Kyu raised his hand.

"What?" Murasaki-sensei asked.

"Kameda-kun isn't here." Kyu replied.

"His notice of absence is in my attendance record book."Murasaki-sensei answered. "He has a cold, so he'll be absent."

* * *

That afternoon...

"Find 'The Collector'?" Asabuki echoed when Megu posed her suggestion.

"I love detective novels." Megu replied. "Yesterday's story piqued my curiosity."

"But if something happens, it'll be dangerous." Asabuki pointed out.

"If you want, I'll help out too." Kyu offered.

"I'll join too, it sounds like fun." Tominaga agreed.

"Eh?" Asabuki sighed.

"Would you like to join us, Touya-san?" Megu inquired.

"How about you, Amakusa-kun?" Kyu feigned ignorance.

"I have some free time." Ryu replied. "I can help out." and gave Touya a look.

"Me too!" Touya beamed.

"Kimura-san?" Asabuki looked over at the silent girl.

"Can't." Ami replied, giving Megu a meaningful look. "Thanks to a certain loudmouth yesterday, the teachers-in-charge of the diving squad, chess club and ice-skating team knows about me returning and recruited me back."

"Oops." Megu whispered in apology.

"Wow, aren't you awfully busy?" Asabuki noted.

"But what I _really_ want to know is, how did you know I was the 'Ice Cygnet'?" Ami inquired, causing Ryu to raise a brow at the title. "I could've sworn none of my performances were broadcasted."

"You're the legendary 'Ice Cygnet'?" Asabuki exclaimed in disbelief.

"When I was younger." Ami added.

"Wait, wait, the 'Ice Cygnet'?" Kyu echoed.

"Don't you know?" Tominaga was astonished. "She's the ice-skating child prodigy, the youngest to _ever_ play the famous 'Swan Lake's 'Odette' in front of a live audience."

"Mizuno-sama." one of the ice skating team members approached the group. "Your skates." she handed Ami a shoe box.

"Mizuno-sama?" Megu teased.

"Don't start." Ami glared. "Then, practice is still at the same time and place?" she asked the team member, as she opened the box to reveal her old skates.

"Yes." the ice skating team member nodded and she went off.

* * *

That evening...

Kameda had awoken to find himself tied to a chair and gagged in the abandoned school gymnasium.

Struggling against his restrains, his eyes widened when the masked 'Collector' removed a video camera from the bag. His muffled scream was heard next.

* * *

The next day...

"Sensei!" Kyu called as he and Ryu stopped Murasaki-sensei in the walkway after class. "Today Kameda-kun was absent again."

"He's absent because of a cold." Murasaki-sensei replied. "There's another memo in my attendance record book.

"It's weird that he used a word processor." Kyu noted, seeing the notice Murasaki-sensei had handed to him. "Normally someone would use the phone, right?

"Especially when he can't get up from his cold." Ryu agreed.

* * *

In the boys' dormitory...

"Kameda!" Sakuma called as he, Kyu and Ryu stopped outside Kameda's door. "It's me. Sakuma. If you're here, answer me. That's weird." he noted. "I'm coming in."

"Wait." Ryu stopped him. "Please don't touch it."

"What?" Sakuma blinked.

"The truth is, I'm a mystery novel geek." Ryu admitted. "I have a tool for taking fingerprints. So yesterday, when I took some fingerprints from my computer, I found Kameda-kun's."

"In short, the day before yesterday's prank was done by Kameda-chan?" Sakuma concluded.

"Anyway for now, can you le me take some fingerprints?" Ryu requested.

"Do what you want." Sakuma replied and Ryu went to work.

"What's wrong?" Kyu asked.

"There's not a single fingerprint." Ryu replied.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"Then, there's no problem." Sakuma stated.

"No." Ryu corrected. "Door knobs usually have the most fingerprints. But not a single fingerprint was left. Someone wiped it off."

"I see." Sakuma noted and the trio entered the room. "There's nothing different here, right?" he wondered.

"This is..." Ryu opened Kameda's last document on the computer.

"Hey, look at this." Kyu stated, kneeling on the floor.

"A bloodstain." Ryu added.

"Looks like something happened in this room that the police should know about." Sakuma remarked.

* * *

In her room ...

"I think Sakuma is definitely suspicious." Asabuki concluded. "I'll thoroughly investigate around Sakuma."

"Okay." Megu nodded.

"I'm good with computers." Tominaga added. "I'll go in that direction."

"How about you, Touya-san?" Megu prodded.

"I..." Touya stammered.

"Then, can you investigate about Ogura Emina-san?" Megu suggested.

"Okay, I'll try." Touya replied.

"Well then, we'll start our official investigation tomorrow." Megu concluded the meeting. "I'll report everything to Kyu-kun and Amakusa-kun, then when Mizuno-san returns from ice-skating practice, I'll inform her as well."

* * *

Outside the dormitory...

Megu dialed Kyu's number on her cellphone, when 'The Collector' came from behind and grabbed her, chloroforming her in the process and causing her to drop her phone.

Along the extended walkway...

"That's weird." Kyu remarked. "Megu isn't answering her phone."

"Kyu, Ryu." Kinta called. "We have the latest information from Kazuma."

"Kazuma, did you find anything?" Kyu asked.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"There's a new entry on that site." Kazuma replied. "It's about the girl who disappeared, Ogura Emina. Before, the boys' dormitory head had a one-sided love for her, but he was harshly rejected."

* * *

Along the extended walkway...

"Sakuma-san?" Kyu confirmed.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Ever since then, he's been bitter about it." Kazuma added.

* * *

Along the extended walkway...

"Could he be 'The Collector'?" Kinta wondered.

"I can't assume that far." Kazuma replied.

"Bye." Kinta noted after ending the call and returned to his post.

"Huh?" Tominaga blinked. "You weren't with Minami-san?"

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"She said she was going to talk to you about the investigation of 'The Collector'." Tominaga supplied.

At that, Kyu hurriedly dialed Megu's number. "The person you're calling is not available." he got the voice mail. "Leave a message after... It's voicemail." he exclaimed. "Tominaga-kun, can you contact Asabuki-san and Touya-san and get them to help look for Minami-san?"

"Yeah." Tominaga nodded. "It's alright, but why are you panicking?"

"Is something wrong?" Kinta inquired.

"Ah, officer, um first-year student Minami-san is missing." Kyu replied. "Can you please help look for her?"

"Alright." Kinta nodded and the three hurried off.

* * *

In the abandoned school gymnasium...

Megu had awakened to find herself tied to a chair and gagged. Her eyes widened at the masked 'Collector' before her. 'The Collector' then pulled open the curtains to reveal a still alive Kameda. 'The Collector' then switched on a video camera and took the glass bottle he had prepared. Approaching the frightened Kameda, he proceeded to smash the bottle onto Kameda's head. Returning to the bench to retrieve the camera, he then focused on Megu.

* * *

Outside the girls' dormitory...

"This is Megu's." Kyu found the cellphone.

"Kyu!" Kinta called as he and Ryu hurried over.

"Megu's cellphone was lying here." Kyu replied. "Could it be... Megu..."

"Something's happened." Ryu concluded. "It's 7.00pm. The sun will set soon."

"We have to hurry and find her." Kyu panicked. "Where are you, Megu? Where are you?"

"Hey, calm down." Kinta chided. "What's the point of us panicking? Ami's practice should be over by now, right?"

"No good." Tominaga stated, the rest meeting up. "We can't find Minami-san anywhere."

"Hey, what in the world is going on?" Asabuki wondered.

"She might've been kidnapped by someone." Kyu replied.

"Like Kameda, who's been missing since yesterday." Ryu added.

"Kameda too?" Asabuki echoed.

"In his room, there are traces of him being taken away." Ryu replied.

"Eh?" Asabuki gasped. "Is it the work of 'The Collector'? There really was one?"

"If we don't find them right away, something bad might happen." Kyu urged.

"Oh yeah." Tominaga thought of something. "We might find something if we look at the school's BBS."

* * *

In Ryu's room...

"There's a movie attached to the BBS." Kyu accessed the website, Ami having joined the group after practice. ""Murder Theater?"

The group gasped the video came onscreen, showing a struggling Kameda as he smashed the bottle in his hand onto Kameda's head.

"Megu." Kyu started, the screen having blacked out for a second before showing Megu's image.

"No way!" Asabuki gasped. "Minami-san too?"

"What's this place?" Kyu pressed. "Where is it?"

"Outside the school?" Asabuki suggested.

"If she was taken from the school, it would be hard to take her outside the school." Ryu reasoned as the video ended. "It's somewhere in the school."

"The school clock tower." Kyu rewound the video.

"7.00 pm?" Asabuki echoed. "That's the time when we met up."

Without hesitation, the four DDS students took off, with the other three on their trail.

* * *

Outside the school compound...

"Where can you see this clock tower from?" the group stopped in front of the clock tower.

"There." Ami looked at the gymnasium. "From that angle, it can only be there."

"It's the gymnasium storage room." Tominaga supplied and the group hurried in.

* * *

In the gymnasium storage room...

"Megu!" Kyu burst in. "Megu!" the group found the unconscious girl. "Megu, are you alright? Hang in there." he shook the girl as Ami unsheathed her knife and freed Megu with an upward cut. "Hey, Megu!"

"Kyu." Megu stirred awake as Kyu pulled off her gag tape.

"You're not hurt?" Kyu pressed.

"I'm alright." Megu assured. "I just inhaled some chemicals. More importantly..." she pointed to the curtain and Kinta pulled the curtains open to reveal Kameda's body.

"This is going to be messy." Ami remarked.

* * *

Later...

Kyu took another look at the crime scene as the police took photographic evidence, the rest of the group standing at the side.

"Oh!" Moroboshi blinked as he and Nekoda arrived.

"We were the first to discover this." Kyu supplied.

"How did you find the body?" Moroboshi inquired. "Can you explain the circumstances?"

"We saw the murder video that 'The Collector' streamed online." Kyu replied.

"Murder video?" Moroboshi gaped. "This is awful." he added when the teens showed him the video.

"More importantly, where's Megu-chan..." Nekoda stammered, before correcting himself. "I mean, this Minami-san? Where's Minami-san?"

"Mizuno-san accompanied her to get a general check-up at the hospital." Ryu supplied.

"Ah, she saw the crime, right?" Moroboshi reasoned. "Let's talk to her."

"I'll go." Nekoda offered.

"No, you stay inside here." Moroboshi corrected.

"Eh?" Nekoda insisted. "No, I'll go too. I want to talk to the victim, um... I like the victim!"

"You're not making sense!" Moroboshi hollered.

"Um, officer." Kyu voiced.

"Hm?" Moroboshi inquired.

"She has taken quite a bit of damage here." Kyu pointed to his chest. "So, please, at least for tonight, can you not bother her?""

"Stop it." Ryu chided. "You know the importance of immediate investigation, right?"

"But Megu can't calmly remember what happened in her current state." Kyu protested.

"There's a possibility that your naivete can cause something irreparable." Ryu reminded. "And the one who will regret it the most is Megu."

"Then, in exchange, we'll just have to combine our abilities." Kyu argued.

"Both of you, stop it." Kinta cut in. "Fighting here won't help."

"I see..." Moroboshi noted. "So that's why she... Ah, so that's it... It can't be helped. Just for tonight, okay?"

"Thank you very much!" Kyu beamed.

"Thank you very much." Nekoda added.

"But still, what bad taste." Moroboshi remarked. "Recording your murder on video."

"Yes." Nekoda agreed.

"There's something I'm curious about with regards to that." Kyu voiced.

"What?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Um, it's on top of this rack." Kyu pointed to the bench. "Part of it is cleaner than the rest."

"Are you saying that the culprit took the video from here?" Moroboshi surmised.

"Hm..." Kyu mused. "But if you take the video from this position, the light of the window would make the person look black."

"But, his face showed up clearly." Moroboshi stated.

"The culprit probably used some type of movie lighting and directed the light this way." Kyu reasoned.

"And so, what are you curious about?" Moroboshi wondered.

"For example, if you put the chair here and shoot it from the window area, using the light from the window, the shot would've been perfect." Kyu gestured. "But going through the trouble of preparing the light equipment, just to be able to shoot from here, I think there must be a reason."

"Now that you mention it, it is weird." Moroboshi agreed.

"This isn't a crime of some simple perverted criminal." Kyu reasoned. "I'm sure that it's probably the premeditated murder plan of someone really smart."

* * *

Elsewhere...

Yurie stopped before the Amakusa house and turned back. "Why don't you show yourself already, Nanami Koutarou-san?" she requested.

"You knew it all along, huh?" Nanami-sensei showed himself.

"Did you think you could fool me without using a disguise?" Yurie inquired.

"When I catch your tail, I'm thinking of asking you for a date." Nanami-sensei replied.

"Did I betray your expectations?" Yurie chuckled.

"No, I still have a chance." Nanami-sensei corrected.

"I already have another engagement tonight." Yurie replied as the headlights of a vehicle closed in.

"Wait a minute!" Nanami-sensei called as Yurie entered the car. "Cerberus." he noticed the driver.

With a grunt, Cerberus drove off.

"Amakusa?" Nanami-sensei approached the house.

* * *

In Shibusawa Academy's schoolyard...

"I'm jealous." Asabuki remarked as Ryu walked her back to the dormitory. "Of you, Kyu-kun, Mizuno-san and Minami-san. The four of you have a secret, right?"

"Eh?" Ryu blinked.

"I know." Asabuki nodded. "But I'm jealous of that. Plus, the way you two think is different, but three of you are concerned about Minami-san."

"Not really." Ryu replied. "I don't have that intention."

"Huh?" Asabuki teased. "What? Are you embarrassed?"

"I'm serious." Ryu corrected.

"Then, that means you just haven't realized it." Asabuki concluded. "I'm jealous that you can fight for you friends like that. Bye bye. "she bade Ryu farewell when the road spilt.

* * *

Outside the girls' dormitory...

"Ah, geez." Kyu complained, slapping off another mosquito, just as a cab pulled in.

"There we go." Megu and Ami exited from the taxi.

"Megu." Kyu voiced.

Megu just waved after tossing away the toothpick.

"I'll leave you two alone." Ami smirked.

"Ami!" the two protested.

Ami just laughed merrily and went her way.

* * *

Inside the girls' dormitory...

"I just become _really_ hungry." Megu remarked. "I brought two servings of ramen at the stand in front of the hospital."

"Two servings?" Kyu echoed. "Eh?"

"When you get out of a stressful situation, you suddenly become hungry, right?" Megu mused.

"Yeah, that's true." Kyu agreed.

"But, it wasn't that delicious." Megu added.

"Really?" Kyu asked, scratching himself.

"Itchy?" Megu guessed.

"Yeah, I am." Kyu replied.

"Ah, really." Megu noted. "Here, here." she stopped at her door. "Bye now. Good night!" she posed.

"Bye now. Good night!" Kyu returned the pose.

Stopping in front of her door, Megu recalled the scene when Kameda was hit by the glass bottle.

Meanwhile, Kyu had stopped in his tracks after he heard nothing and he returned back to find Megu standing in front of her door. "Megu." he voiced.

* * *

In her room...

Asabuki had pulled out the Number 6 tape from her bookshelf. Sliding it into her recorder, she played the tape.

"Could this be..." she realized as she watched.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"I wonder what's he's doing at this hour." Kinta mused, as Tominaga exited the dorm.

* * *

In his room...

"Yes?" Ryu answered the call.

* * *

In her room...

"Ah, Amakusa-kun?" Asabuki voiced. "I want to show you something. I found an important hint concerning the Kameda murder."

* * *

In his room...

"Eh?" Ryu echoed.

* * *

In her room...

"Ah, sorry." Asabuki apologized when there was a knock on her door. "Someone's at the door. I'll call you later."

* * *

In Megu's room...

"Thanks." Kyu replied after Megu applied ointment on his bites.

"Thanks too." Megu remarked.

"But I was really worried that you might panic again." Kyu voiced.

"I'm relieved that you came back." Megu stated. "I really thought I've gotten used to it."

"Hey, when did your photographic power awaken?" Kyu asked.

"In kindergarten." Megu replied. "I remembered each and every book I read, and I was called a genius girl in our neighborhood. But during grade school, when everyone's concerned about junior high entrance exams everyone looked at me coldly. 'Megu is unfair.', 'She'll get a good score even if she doesn't study.'. When I see a brutal scene, I can't get it out of my head and it's painful. There are more painful experiences. But why can't they understand me? And of course, I was left out. But because I don't want to be like that, I entered the Detective Academy. If my own abilities can help other people, then I think I can be proud of my own ability. No way..." she remarked after seeing Kyu's amused expression. "Why am I telling you?"

"No, I think it's a wonderful thought." Kyu noted. "Because with all of the cases we've investigated, if it weren't for your photographic memory, we couldn't have solved them."

"How about you?" Megu asked. "Why did you enter the Detective Academy?"

"Well, that's because I wanted to learn more from Dan-sensei." Kyu replied.

"But Kyu, you don't seem interested in becoming his successor." Megu pointed out.

"What I want to be isn't Dan-sensei's successor." Kyu replied. "I just want to be a detective."

"And what motivated you?" Megu prodded.

"Hm..." Kyu mused. "A certain person's influence?"

"A certain person?" Megu echoed.

"I don't know his name, but he's an uncle that I like." Kyu replied.

"Eh?" Megu blinked. "What's this?" she asked when Kyu pulled out a notebook from his back pocket.

"A notebook that I got from that uncle." Kyu replied.

"Isn't the information here similar to the Detective Academy's Student Notebook?" Megu wondered, taking the notebook from Kyu and flipping through the pages.

"Yeah." Kyu nodded.

"And it's really someone you don't know" Megu pressed.

"Yeah." Kyu nodded again. "I don't know his name or identity.

* * *

In his office...

Dan-sensei had taken out his late partner's wedding band as memories flooded his mind.

_

* * *

_

Flashback

_Renjou was walking into a building when a sniper shot at the detective from the shadows_

"_Renjou!" Dan-sensei hurried in, only to be met by two shots in each knee cap._

_The sniper fired another shot at Dan-sensei's chest and drove off. _

"_Renjou!" Dan-sensei crawled to his fallen partner. "Renjou. Hand in there! Hang in there, Renjou!"_

_With his last breath, Renjou removed his wedding band and handed it to Dan-sensei._

"_Renjou." Dan-sensei looked at his partner as he took the ring. "Renjou! Renjou!" he tried to rouse his dead partner. "Renjou!"_

* * *

"Renjou." Dan-sensei stated. "It looks like our last battle with Pluto is about to begin."

* * *

In his room...

"Ami?" Ryu blinked when he answered his door. "You look tired."

"Another premonition, never had one this strong." Ami stated plainly, rubbing her head to ease her headache. "Check the BBS."

Taking her advice, Ryu checked the message board.

"Live broadcast starts at 9:00." he read the latest message.

"If I remember correctly, this address is being used by the broadcast club for their videos." Ami surmised. "That is provided they haven't changed the address."

"This is..." Ryu opened the link and a video screen popped up. "I've been meaning to ask." he looked at his partner. "The BBS states 'The resident 'Ice Queen' has returned.', this means that you've been to the Academy before."

"Undercover work." Ami replied. "And just leave it to that." she commented, indicating it was the end of the discussion.

* * *

In Megu's room...

"Hello?" Kyu took the call.

* * *

In his room...

"Kyu, Ami had another premonition." Ryu replied. "And she's right, 'The Collector' showed up again."

* * *

In Megu's room...

"Eh?" Kyu exclaimed.

"This is the girls' dormitory." Megu recognized. "Live broadcast?"

"Whose room is that?" Kyu asked when the camera showed a girl opening her door and welcoming her visitor. She was then knocked out by her visitor and the camera shifted to the clock by the TV's side. Pausing for a while, the camera then trailed up show the body with a knife stabbed through a pillow.

Megu let out a scream.

* * *

In Ryu room...

"Asabuki..." Ami cursed. "Damn!"

* * *

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.


	5. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Five

SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 4 goes up. This is Chapter 5 and no review. No one is reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope and her current muse): Great, now you non-reviewing readers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Turns non-reviewing readers' faces into chessboards)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 5: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Five

* * *

"Hey, what was that scream?" Kinta asked, the rest of the group meeting in front of Asabuki's door.

"Ryu." Kyu noted. "Anyway, let's go in."

"Wait, the culprit might still be inside." Kinta pointed out. That, he took the initiative and opened the door.

"She's dead." Ami reported, after checking the corpse for a pulse.

"I'll let the police know." Touya took off.

"Megu." Kyu started.

"What on earth?" Megu wondered. "What kind of person is 'The Collector'? Why did he also kill Asabuki-san?"

Kneeling beside the body, Ryu reached out to close Asabuki's eyes, mouthing 'bye-bye' to her. "The truth is, I received a phone call from Asabuki-san earlier." he admitted.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"She said she found an important hint regarding the Kameda murder." Ryu added.

"And you're telling us now, why?" Ami inquired. "Today, after school, everyone gathered here, right?" she turned Megu.

"Yeah." Megu nodded.

"Anything is fine." Ami stated. "Since then, is there anything missing?"

"Those books over there." Megu pointed to the book shelf. "The way they are arranged has changed."

"Kyu, Ryu." Ami turned to the two boys and the two went over to check.

"Amazing, how did you remember that?" Tominaga gaped.

"My memory is just better than most people." Megu replied.

"Horror videos." Kyu noted, having removed the books.

"This is strange." Ryu remarked. " Number 6 is the only video missing."

"This clock..." Kyu knelt by the alarm clock.

"What's wrong?" Megu asked.

"The alarms was set at 9:00, even though we start class at 8:00." Kyu pointed out. "She's definitely be late at 9:00."

* * *

Later...

"I have to hand it to 'The Collector'." Moroboshi remarked, the police having secured the scene.

"But was that really a live stream?" Nekoda wondered. "They could've recorded it earlier, the broadcast it afterwards, right?"

"No, I don't think it's possible." Tominaga corrected. "The alarm clock in this room was shown on the video."

"No one suspicious was seen before the murder." Moroboshi added. "Then, that means the criminal is..."

"Most likely someone in this school." Nekoda finished.

"Alright, let's find out who held a grudge against the victim." Moroboshi concluded.

"Okay." Nekoda nodded and the two detectives went off.

"I wonder if Asabuki-san was recording something." Megu wondered when the reeling of the tape recorded alerted them.

"Hey, this VCR..." Kyu trailed. "The timer is broken. Look, none of the numbers are moving up from zero. Ah, it stopped."

"What was she recording?" Megu mused.

Taking the remote, Kyu switched the TV on and hit the 'Play' button on the VCR. "It's a variety program." he noted as the screen came on.

"And it starts halfway through?" Megu added.

"Eh?" Kinta blinked. "This one started at 8:00 today."

"Someone check the TV listing." Ami instructed.

Kyu grabbed the TV listings on the table and flipped it open. "I see." he realized, seeing the circled slot. "So that's how it is huh?"

* * *

In Sakuma's room...

"What a good scene." Sakuma remarked. "I'll record it."

"Stop kidding around!" Moroboshi snapped, grabbing the video cam. "Sakuma, where were you at around 9:00 pm yesterday?"

"It is confirmed that you weren't in the dormitory." Nekoda added.

"You came here because of Asabuki Maya-san, didn't you?" Moroboshi accused. "You're the only one who could be 'The Collector'."

"Are you saying I killed her just because of that?" Sakuma asked.

"That's not all." Moroboshi continued. "Not only do you love horror movies, you also love murder and dead bodies, right?"

"You're not interested?" Sakuma blinked.

"Huh?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Interest in the death of others, isn't that a basic emotion of human beings?" Sakuma elaborated.

"You have a twisted personality!" Moroboshi barked.

"If I were 'The Collector', I'd choose a more beautiful way of killing." Sakuma remarked. "That type of killing, can't possibly be me."

"What do you take people's lives for?" Moroboshi hollered.

* * *

In the school hall...

"Please wait!" Kyu shouted, the five Q Class members dashing in. "If you look at it psychologically, I don't think Sakuma-san is the culprit."

"Psychologically?" Moroboshi echoed, as he and Nekoda proceeded to take Sakuma away.

"First, please look at this." Kyu stated, presenting the CD record.

* * *

In the VR room...

"Please look at this carefully." Kyu stated as he and Ryu played the video in slow-mo. "Notice that the victim, Asabuki-san, seems to be inviting the culprit in."

"True, it looks like that." Moroboshi agreed.

"Would Asabuki-san invite Sakuma-san, who she suspects to be 'The Collector', into her room this easily?" Kyu posted a question. "I don't think she would. In short, this defenseless action Asabuki-san took, proves that Sakuma-san isn't the culprit."

"But this guy has no alibi." Moroboshi pointed out.

"The alibi itself is the trick." Ami remarked.

"Eh, eh?" both Moroboshi and Nekoda blinked.

"It was a trick." Sakuma echoed.

"Look at what happens next." Kyu continued. "'The Collector went through the trouble of aiming the camera at the alarm clock in the victim's room." he paused when the alarm clock came into view. If it was streamed in real-time on the BBS, normally you'll think that the one who had no alibi at that time was the culprit. But what would you do if the time on the alarm clock itself was part of the culprit's plan?"

"Eh?" Nekoda echoed.

"What would you do?" Sakuma echoed.

"The victim had a close relationship with the culprit, enough to invite the culprit in." Ryu added. "The culprit could've moved the alarm clock's hand anytime. Actually, when I received a call from Asabuki-san after 8:00 pm, someone came into her room."

"Is that true?" Moroboshi inquired.

"If that was the culprit, then there were plenty of chances to move the hand." Ryu reasoned.

"But, there is no proof that that the time has been altered." Moroboshi pointed out.

"Kyu found the evidence already." Kinta supplied.

* * *

In Asabuki's room...

"This is a variety program that was aired at 8:00 last night." Kyu played the tape.

"The victim recorded this program just before she was murdered?" Moroboshi wondered.

"That's right." Kyu nodded.

"But this program was recorded halfway through." Moroboshi stated.

"Well of course." Kinta remarked. "This isn't the program she wanted to record, it was this horror movie after this that started at 9:00." he showed the detectives the TV listing.

"This one?" Moroboshi pointed to the circled slot.

"The truth is, the timer on this VCR is broken." Kyu added. "When Asabuki-san has a program she wants to record, I'm sure she sets her alarm clock and records it when the program starts. In short, while the alarm was set for just before 9:00, it wasn't for 9:00 am, but for 9:00 pm. She pressed the record button at the time she had set the alarm clock to before she was murdered by the culprit. Nevertheless, the program that was recorded was the variety program before the movie. Moreover, it starts halfway through. In short, the time adjusted by the criminal beforehand, so that the murder was would be recorded and broadcasted as a live stream shows proof that the alibi was fabricated."

"Eh?" Nekoda echoed. "Then that video wasn't really a live stream?"

"Then that means, an alibi at 9:00pm is meaningless." Moroboshi concluded.

"That's exactly what it means." Kyu nodded.

"This is bad." Nekoda remarked as Sakuma gave the two detectives the middle finger salute.

"Alright, let's check some alibis again." Moroboshi suggested.

"Okay." Nekoda agreed and the two adults exited.

"Detective." Ami started.

"What is it?" Moroboshi turned back.

"Can you please show us Asabuki-san's confiscated video tapes?" Ryu requested.

"Why?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Among all the numbered videos, Number 6 is the only one that's missing." Ryu replied. "There's a chance that it was taken by the culprit."

"Really?" Moroboshi echoed.

"Watching the videos before that might give us a clue." Ami reasoned. "Please." the two teens bowed.

"I'd like to second that request." Megu followed suit.

"Please." Kyu followed.

"I'll contact headquarters and have it arranged." Moroboshi conceded. "But just for today, okay?"

"Thank you very much!" the teens bowed again.

* * *

In the schoolyard...

"I own you guys one." Sakuma remarked.

"We simply solved the alibi trick." Kyu pointed out.

"There's still a chance that you've involved in this case." Ryu added.

"Where were you last night?" Kinta asked.

"The truth is, I received an email from someone I met at a horror movie fansite, saying he or she would give me an occult video, so I was waiting in a park nearby." Sakuma replied.

"And?" Kinta prodded.

"But that person never came." Sakuma answered.

"You mean you were stood up?" Megu echoed.

"Yeah." Sakuma nodded.

"Did you think that excuse would work?" Kinta inquired.

"I knew it won't work." Sakuma replied. "That's why I kept silent."

"He's got a point." Ami grinned.

"You're still the same, Mizuno; small like a mouse, but with a tongue sharp like a serpent." Sakuma remarked.

"So sue me." Ami joked.

"And besides, even if I'm a dangerous person, I would never kill my cute kouhais from the movie club." Sakuma told Kinta.

"Kouhai from the movie club?" Megu echoed.

"Yeah." Sakuma nodded. "Those two graduated from the affiliated junior high and were members of the movie club."

"Really?" Kyu asked.

"Yeah." Sakuma nodded. "And not just Kameda and Asabuki, but also Tominaga, Touya, and even the girl who disappeared, Ogura Emina."

Just then, Ami stopped in her tracks and turned when she sense Yurie.

* * *

In Dan-sensei's office...

"About that woman going to Amakusa's house..." Nanami-sensei trailed. "What do you think about it?"

"What do you mean?" Dan-sensei prodded.

"Unlike the others, there's been a dark shadow lingering around Amakusa." Nanami-sensei pointed out. "Don't you think it's an obvious fact that there's a connection to Pluto?"

"Nanami." Dan-sensei stated.

"Yes?" Nanami-sensei inquired.

"Even if that's the case, I'd like to believe in him." Dan-sensei replied. "I believe he has the same intention as us. Otherwise, as part of Q Class, I don't think he would be able to face the incidents."

* * *

In Asabuki's room...

"Before Kameda-kun got along well with everyone." Kyu noted as the first tape was played.

"Ogura Emina, Kameda Junya, Asabuki Maya." Kinta listed. "To think all the victims were from the same movie club."

"But that means that we have narrowed down the range of suspects." Ami mused.

"Eh?" Megu blinked. "Really?"

"It's impossible to commit a calculated murder like this without having a close relationship." Ryu commented, following Ami's thought train. "Looking at the fact that Asabuki-san invited the culprit in without suspicion, means there's a high possibility that it was someone she was close to in junior high."

"You mean 'The Collector' is among these people?" Megu realized.

"Hey, Kazuma." Kinta answered the call, the rest crowding around.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Right now, I'm investigating Shibusawa Academy's server." Kazuma replied. "There's about 6 months' worth of logs here. I researched the entries of Kameda Junya, who was murdered. It seems that this person did some awful stuff."

* * *

In Asabuki's room...

"Awful?" Kinta echoed.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"On Shibusawa Academy's site, there's a BBS for movie enthusiasts." Kazuma elaborated. "That Kameda person used about 20 usernames, then he ganged up one one person."

* * *

In Asabuki's room...

"Are you serious?" Kinta muttered.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"I've sent the detailed conversation via email." Kazuma added.

* * *

In Asabuki's room...

"You mean all these posts under different names are all Kameda?" Megu echoed in disbelief.

"The one who's attacked is the one named ANIME." Kinta added.

"Look at this." Ryu scrolled down to the last entry.

"'To the many of you who hate me, this is my last message.'" Ami read. "'I'll commit suicide.'" she blinked when Ryu revealed the last sentence.

"No way!" Megu gasped. "Suicide just because of online bullying?"

"It;s not impossible." Ami pointed out. "There are people who fall in love and marry just from message board posts made on the Internet."

"This 'ANIME' is an anagram." Ryu noticed

"Anagram?" Kyu echoed. "Rearranging the letters?"

"Yeah." Ryu nodded, opening the word processor and typed in the letters. "If you convert 'ANIME' to romaji and read it backwards," he added, the word 'Emina' appearing below 'ANIME'."

"Ah, Ogura Emina." Kyu gasped.

"Then, that means the person that Kameda-kun bullied using 20 usernames was the missing Ogura Emina-san?" Megu blinked.

"Looks like we can see the motive now." Kinta noted.

"I don't know..." Ami trailed. "The anagram is too... simple. If I were the real Ogura-san, don't you think it'll make more sense to use a more... anonymous anagram?"

"You're thinking way too much into this." Kinta chided.

"Hey, Kyu, Ryu." Ami voiced, giving the two boys a mischievous smirk. "Want to gather the people from the video and hold a little show?"

"I like the way you think; that would be interesting." Ryu turned her smirk.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Being bothered by online bullying led to suicide, huh? Nanami-sensei mused once Kazuma told him of the recent developments. "But what a simple anagram."

"Isn't it?" Kazuma agreed. "Usually one would use a more anonymous name."

"Hm?" Nanami-sensei peered at Kazuma's laptop. "What's this?"

"Someone who admires Megu pretended to be her and made a blog." Kazuma replied. "I'm currently investigating this too, upon Megu's request."

"Narusawa..." Nanami-sensei added, when an idea came to his mind. "I'm leaving for a bit." grabbing Ogura's photo, he headed off.

* * *

In the VR room...

"Movie club from junior high huh?" Tominaga mused. "How nostalgic."

"Fura-san..." Touya reminisced.

"My heart laments when I see this movie." Sakuma added. "It goes 'gyuu, gyuu'"

"Sakuma-san, is it true that Ogura-san dumped you?" Kyu whispered.

"That's blunt." Ami grinned.

"You're really frank." Sakuma agreed. "She said, 'I like someone else.' Even though I knew it was impossible for a pervert like me."

"Still so cool and confident, huh?" Ami smirked. "Or was it..." her smirk widened. "The direct opposite?"

"Still so sharp, 'Frostbite'." Sakuma remarked. "But yeah, inside, I was boiling."

"Everyone looks like they're getting along well." Kyu noted.

"Nowadays, we don't even talk to each other anymore." Tominaga added.

"I wonder why..." Touya mused. "We're not getting along anymore."

"It can't be helped." Tominaga shrugged. "Our school is a juken kou after all. We're all rivals when it comes to grades.

"Those days are fun." Touya remembered, not noticing the shared looks Kyu, Ryu and Ami cast at each other. "We had our movies played in the small theater that Sakuma-sempai's father owned, or we borrowed props from Tominaga-kun's father, who does film arts."

"Let's stop it." Tominaga replied. "More importantly, let's think about the case."

"Well, it's because of them that the alibi trick was solved." Sakuma reminded.

"To think that the clock on the video was set 30 minutes early." Tominaga remarked.

"Or that the alarm clock was set for evening, not morning." Touya added.

"It is an alarm clock." Sakuma noted. "So you'd think it was for morning. I see, the crime occurred at 8:30pm huh? Eh? I don't have an alibi again."

"There were no reactions, huh?" Kinta mused, pulling up the blinds after the tapes were played.

"In the end, it was all in vain." Megu added, keeping the chairs.

"That's not true." Kyu corrected. "I know who the culprit is."

"Eh?" Kinta and Megu echoed.

"Seeing that video must've been pretty hard for the culprit." Ryu added, replacing the chairs.

"He cracked just a bit." Ami smiled in agreement.

"You two got it too?" Kinta blinked.

"Hey, who is it?" Megu pressed. "Who's the culprit? Tell me."

In response, Kyu played Asabuki's tape and fast-forwarded it.

"Kyu, stop." Ami instructed when the horror movie's starting credits came on and Kyu hit the pause button. "Exactly 30 minutes." she added, looking at the recorder's timer as the rest of the group entered backstage.

"It's settled then." Ryu concluded.

"Yeah." Kyu nodded.

"Eh?" Megu blinked. "That person's the culprit?"

"Yeah." Ryu replied.

"I see." Kinta noted. "So now, we just have to break his alibi for Kameda's murder.

* * *

In the gymnasium storage room...

"Why?" Kyu wondered. "Why did the culprit even go through the trouble of preparing the lights just to shoot from here?"

Just then, Ami stepped onto something under her boot and she picked up the small piece of rock. "This is..." she frowned and took a quick sniff. "I see." she stood up and looked at the clock tower. "I get it."

"You figured something out, Ami?" Kyu asked.

"This." Ami dropped the rock into Kyu's hand.

Feeling the stone, Kyu, too, made the connection, "Ah! I see. So that's how it is. The culprit killed Kameda-kun twice." he explained.

"Eh?" Kinta echoed.

"The glass bottle that was used to hit Kameda-kun, that was a fake." Kyu replied.

"What do you mean?" Megu was puzzled.

"Well, in action movies, aren't there scenes where people get hit on the head by glass bottles and then lose consciousness?" Kyu gave an example. "The glass bottle used is called candy glass, which is a fake more brittle than glass."

"Then, the glass bottle that was used to hit Kameda was a glass bottle used for movie productions?" Kinta noted.

"But, I'm sure I saw blood on his head." Megu pointed out.

"That's why, in order for 'The Collector' to make an alibi, the person had to hit Kameda-kun with a glass bottle twice." Ami remarked.

"Going through the trouble of shooting from here was to display the time on the tower and so to prove the alibi." Kyu continued.

"I see." Ryu, too, realized what the two were getting at. "The scene we saw when Kameda-kun was murdered, is actually different from the one Megu saw."

"What do you mean by different?" Megu was still confused.

"Between the time of Kameda-kun going missing and the time he was killed, there was a one day gap." Ryu explained.

"In short, what we saw online, the time that we saw on the clock tower in the video, wasn't on the day he was killed." Kyu summarized. "It was actually was 7:00 the day before. In order for 'The Collector' to get an alibi, a movie was shot at 7:00 on the day before the crime. As if practicing for a murder scene, 'The Collector' hit Kameda-kun's head with a candy beer bottle. And the next day, in front of Megu, who was kidnapped to become a witness, the real crime was done at a different time. And by editing the two videos, it appeared like it was just one murder video. For the time being, should I send this to the forensics to be analyzed?"

"That's not enough to get definitive proof on the culprit." Ryu pointed out.

"The culprit, in order to silence people, will even kill his own friends." Ami stated, looking out of the window. "If we say we know the truth, I'm sure..." she turned to her team. "It's a risky gamble; sink or swim. I have an idea. But," she looked at Kyu. "It _will_ put you in danger."

"I trust you." Kyu gave their team leader a assuring nod.

"That's what I want to hear." Ami replied and explained her plan.

* * *

Later...

Everyone else involved in the case received the same message: I know who 'The Collector' is. Please gather at the meeting room at 8:00. - Kyu.

The culprit slammed his fist onto the table, placing his other hand on the pile of Ogura Emina's pictures.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"The boy named Kyu, might be a little detestable." Yurie noted once she entered the van. "He isn't harboring even a speck of doubt towards Ryu-sama. Rather, he's showing trust. Unfortunately, it seems that the seed you've planted won't grow."

Just then, Cerberus' cell rang. "Yes?" he took the call. "Is that so?" he snorted. "Well, don't panic. I have a plan. Then, I'll meet you at the usual place right away."

In the nearby bowling alley...

"It's wolfsbane." Cerberus handed his client a small package of powder. "When you get the chance, let him drink it. I'm sure you'll see a superb scene. Just like a horror movie."

* * *

At the designated time...

"Hey, hey, hey, hey." Sakuma's camera followed the two boys as they exited from the lift. "Kyu-kun, Amakusa-kun. Is it true that you know who did it?"

Without a word, the two led Sakuma into Meeting Room 1.

* * *

In the meeting room...

"You know the culprit?" Tominaga echoed when the three entered. "Don't you have to contract the police?"

"Before that, I'd like everyone to listen to my idea." Kyu replied.

"I made some juice." Megu entered with a tray of orange juice.

"Ah, I'll help you." Tominaga offered.

"Thanks." Megu replied as Tominaga took the tray and handed the glasses out.

"Ah, sorry." Kyu exited to take the call. "Hello? Ah, sorry, sorry, no, that's not it. For real, for real! Seriously, for real."

* * *

Meanwhile...

A repair van drove into the Academy's carpark and two repairmen exited from the vehicle.

* * *

In the meeting room...

The culprit slipped the poison into a glass.

"Wait... w..." Kyu reentered the room, cutting off the connection. "Ah, ah sorry for waiting, sorry."

"Excuse me." the two repairmen entered, before Kyu could take a sip. "Right now, we're scheduled to clean this room's air-conditioner."

"Is that so?" Ami wondered. "Then, we'll move to the next room."

"Sorry." the repairman replied. "It looks like we interrupted something. Ah, we'll carry the juice."

"Thank you." Kyu nodded as the repairmen took the glasses and the group moved over to Meeting Room 2.

* * *

In Meeting Room 2...

"I'll randomly give the juice out." Megu handed out the glasses once everyone were settled. "Since no one's drank them yet."

"Kyu-kun, Amakusa-kun, hurry and tell us already." Sakuma pressed.

"Let's don't rush things." Kyu said. "Well, let's take our time and talk about it while drinking juice."

With that, the group each drank their juice without hesitation.

"What's wrong?" Kyu looked over at the only one who had not drank the orange juice. "You're the only one who isn't drinking, Tominaga-kun. Go ahead, drink it. Everyone, except for you, proved their innocence by drinking their juice."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Tominaga snorted when he received a video clip on his phone, showing that he had slipped the wolfsbane powder into Kyu's original glass.

"We copied you and streamed it online." the two repairmen entered, revealing a hidden camera underneath the tissue box.

"Who the heck are you?" Tominaga demanded.

The repairmen responded by pulling off their disguises to reveal their true forms; Kinta and Kazuma.

"What on earth?" Tominaga barked.

"Guess that worked." Ami stated.

"You were scared that I would reveal who the real culprit is." Kyu replied. "And Ami was sure you intended to silence me, just like Asabuki-san. That's why she had me test whether or not you'd take the bait."

"By the way, I memorized which glass had the poison." Megu added. "Well, drink it if you can."

Tominaga took the glass, before he remembered what Cerberus warned him: Don't use it to kill yourself. Smashing the glass against the wall, he retorted, "I didn't drink the juice because my stomach hurts. Like I'll become the murderer just like that."

"You're still trying to get out of this one?" Kinta growled.

"Kinta..." Ami shook her head in warning.

"Besides," Tominaga added. "When Kameda was killed, I was with you guys, right? And, anyone could've done the alibi trick with Asabuki's murder. There's no proof that I'm 'The Collector'."

"Proof huh?" Ryu echoed. "You're already proven it yourself, right?"

"Eh?" Tominaga blinked.

"When you saw Asabuki-san's video, do you remember what you said?" Kyu reminded. "On the video tape found in Asabuki-san's room, we didn't know how long the variety program was recorded for during that time. After you told us, we verified it, and only then did we find out about it."

"Your alibi for Kameda-kun's murder is gone too." Ryu added. "We know the murder took place over two days."

"Also, the fact that you used this candy beer bottle." Kinta remarked.

"In junior high, we received one from Tominaga's father when we observed a movie shoot." Sakuma recalled. "And for our movie, we used the candy beer bottle."

"Most likely, she was trying to show me the video which had the recording." Ryu surmised. "But during our conversation, you coincidentally visited her room. You might've been worried about the tape, and you wanted to steal it. When you heard that she wanted to show it to me to help with the investigation, you suddenly thought of a way to kill her. For taking an innocent life," he stood up. "You won't get away with this, Tominaga." he glared.

"How were you able to kill your friends from junior high as if they were insects?" Megu inquired, standing up. "In the video from the movie club, weren't you all friends who got along well?"

"Nakama?" Tominaga burst out laughing. "Friends? No, not friends. Just a lot of people that I needed to pull down. There was no one I could trust. Not a single person, except for Ogura Emina."

"Could it be..." Megu trailed. "She was..."

"Emina and I..." Tominaga replied. "Loved each other. A deep connection through our hearts. We were tied by that."

"But, that's impossible." Sakuma remarked.

"Of course no one knew!" Tominaga retorted. "Emina and I... dated over the net. At the Academy's site where movie enthusiasts gathered, I became lovers with someone named 'ANIME'. And then, I suddenly noticed, that if I convert her name to romaji and read it backwards, it becomes EMINA. I had goosebumps. Because ever since junior high, I've always liked her. Well, although it seemed like she didn't realize who I was. When the right time came, I intended to confess my love to her. But, suddenly, since spring, a lot of people started to attack ANIME. I tried everything I could to stop those posts, but I couldn't do anything. And then, the sensitive and delicate EMINA disappeared from the internet world, and even from school too. She no longer exists in this world. I understand her pain and her suffering."

"Therefore, you looked for the person who drove her into a corner and reached Kameda-kun." Kyu concluded.

"He hated Emina, who had better grades than him." Tominaga replied. "He treacherously and persistently pushed her to a corner and drove my Emina to death. He's the only one... he's the only one who I could never forgive. That's why... with my own hands..."

"Wait a minute!" Touya cut in, standing up. "Um... I do think Ogura Emina-san disappeared for some reason. But, at the very least, it wasn't because she was bullied by Kameda-kun on the internet."

"What would _you_ know?" Tominaga hollered.

"ANIME wasn't Emina-san!" Touya cried. "It was me. I rearranged the letters of her name and posted on the BBS using the username ANIME."

"Eh?" Tominaga echoed.

"So, Ami _was_ right." Megu looked over to the other girl sitting opposite of her.

"I've admired her since we were in junior high." Touya continued. "I thought it'd be wonderful if I became someone like her. And so one day, it came upon me. There's a place where even I can become my ideal person, Emina. If it's on the internet, even I can become my ideal self. At first, it was just a light-hearted feeling. But, while I was doing that, I became more and more obsessed. I became an ideal high school student, beautiful, cheerful and smart."

"That's a lie!" Tominaga shouted. "Don't say such random things!"

"Hey, stop it!" Kinta pulled Tominaga away before he pounced at Touya, smashing the candy beer bottle in front of him and causing Tominaga to fall to the ground.

"It's a lie..." Tominaga muttered in disbelief. "It's a lie!"

"That girl isn't lying." Nanami-sensei cut in.

"Nanami-sensei?" Kyu blinked.

"What she's saying is true." Nanami-sensei affirmed, entering. "Ogura Emina didn't commit suicide. She eloped with her boyfriend."

"Eloped?" Ami echoed. "What is this world coming to!"

In response, Nanami-sensei showed the group the photographic evidence. "Her boyfriend's a high school dropout trying to become an actor." he continued. "She wasn't able to withstand her strict parents or the pressure of being an honor student. Still unable to say how she felt..."

"She threw everything away." Ami finished in a hushed gasp.

"How do you know?" Kinta asked.

"I heard of Minami's fake blog and figured that ANIME wasn't her." Nanami-sensei replied. "It was just too simple of an anagram. There's also no doubt that ANIME's identity is Touya Kuniko."

"No way..." Megu gasped. "Then this crime... you're saying that Tominaga's motive was simply an delusion from the internet?"

"Tominaga-kun." Kyu started. "Why was it when she was being attacked, you wouldn't reveal your identity to her? Why didn't you try to protect her in the real world? Then, this type of misunderstanding wouldn't... our world that we're supposed to live in isn't inside the internet. In the real world, there's suffering. Things don't always go our way, there's a lot of these. But, if you have a dream of becoming something, you shouldn't run away from that. You should accept yourself the way you are and face reality."

"Your dream..." Touya stated, sniffling. "You've forgotten about it? Tominaga-kun, we, someday, we're going to make a masterpiece that'll be played in theaters worldwide. You said that, right?"

"Tominaga." Sakuma added. "Tominaga." he walked over to his silent kouhai. "Tominaga! Tominaga! Tominaga!" he tried to snap the dazed teen out of his musings. Not getting any response, he focused his camera on Tominaga.

"Dream..." Tominaga spoke

The scene having reopened a past she thought she had put behind her, Ami silently stood up and left the room.

* * *

In the corridor...

Shutting the door behind her, Ami walked away from the room. Leaning against the wall, she removed a thread necklace from around her neck, the ring threaded in it rested in her palm and she let a lone tear fall.

* * *

In the interrogation room at the police station...

"Did you plan everything yourself?" Moroboshi asked.

"It was a website on the internet." Tominaga replied. "When I wrote about my grudge against Kameda, an email came. 'I know someone who sells a perfect crime plan.'"

"And then, what happened?" Moroboshi prodded, as Nekoda typed out the confession.

"I asked that person to introduce me and I met up with him." Tominaga replied.

"What kind of person is he?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Ordinary." Tominaga replied.

"Do you remember anything?" Moroboshi goaded.

"Remember?" Tominaga echoed and chuckled, Cerberus' hypnosis having been invoked.

"Hey, stop!" Moroboshi shouted as Tominaga pounded his head against a pillar. "Hey! Hey, hold him down!" he told Nekoda who had come to his aid.

"His tongue!" Nekoda called. "His tongue! Someone! Hurry and help!" he cried after Moroboshi stuffed a handkerchief into Tominaga's mouth to prevent him form biting his tongue.

Outside the interrogation room

"Hypnosis again." Ami concluded.

"Yeah." Nanami-sensei agreed, causing Kyu and Kazuma to look at them.

"That's why I am here." a voice interjected.

"Angel-nee?" Ami blinked as Guardian Venus approached the group. "You don't intend to..."

"Of course I do." Angel smirked in reply. "And you, chibi-chan, are going to help me. Think of it as field experience."

"I knew it." Ami sighed and the two Guardians entered the interrogation room, pulling off their Guardian Rings in the process.

Shutting the door, the two females called forth their power, Venus' telepathy allowing her to invade Tominaga's mind and probe his memories, both of them going slack the moment Venus entered the teen's mind; while Mercury's healing abilities set to work immediately, preventing both bodies from being harmed in anyway when they were at their most vulnerable states.

* * *

The next day...

"I wonder what Nanami-sensei and Ami are hiding." Megu voiced.

"Something is happening without our knowledge." Kinta added.

"By the way, Megu." Kazuma started. "I know who made that blog.

"Who was it?" Megu rose from her seat at the sofa.

"Her name is Honjou Megumi, 12 years old." Kazuma replied. "She'd been admiring you ever since she saw you wearing your maid uniform."

"Do you know her?" Kyu asked.

"No." Megu shook her head.

"It seems she has reflected her actions." Kazuma added. "She changed the blog, too." he showed Megu the altered blog.

"Thanks for doing all these things." Megu remarked.

"It's probably good that we caught on early." Kinta noted. "If that kind of misunderstanding goes off in a weird direction, it'll become unstoppable. Just like this incident."

"But, what I can't forgive is those who use other people's emotions, and instigate murders like that." Kyu concluded. "I will never forgive them. Dan-sensei." he blinked, everybody else standing at attention when Nanami-sensei pushed Dan-sensei into the room.

"I've been advised by Nanami." Dan-sensei stated. "That it's time to tell you everything already. I'll reveal to you, my old enemy, Pluto's identity."

"And our history of our battle with them." Guardian _Pluto_ finished, entering the room with Guardian Mercury in tow, both Guardians decked in their armor, their weapons in their hands.

* * *

SailorStar9: To avoid any confusion, from now on, Guardian Pluto's Pluto will be in italics; the Pluto organization's Pluto will remain in default setting. Now that's done, read and review.


	6. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Six

SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 5 goes up. This is Chapter 6 and no review. No one is reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope' and her current muse): Great, now you non-reviewing readers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Digivolves into Angewomon and fires a barrage of 'Holy Arrows' at the non-reviewing readers)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 6: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Six

* * *

"I'll reveal to you, my old enemy, Pluto's identity." Dan-sensei told the gathered teens.

"And our history of our battle with them." Guardian _Pluto_ finished, entering the room with Guardian Mercury in tow, both Guardians decked in their armor, their weapons in their hands.

"Pluto?" Kyu echoed.

"Never showing up in the light," Dan-sensei started, taking his seat at the main desk. "Manipulating the crime from the shadows, that's Pluto. An artisan of words, they creep into the tiny gap inside people's hearts, sympathizing with their wickedness. And then, they give them a murder plan for the perfect crime. Pushing the back of their client, at most, Pluto devises the plan. They would never execute the crime. In short, there's no trace of their involvement with the crime."

"Aah..." Kyu gaped when the photo of Cerberus and Yurie appeared on screen and turned a side-glace at Ryu.

"I have to apologize to all of you for hiding the fact that Pluto, who I should've already annihilated, has begun to move again." Dan-sensei added.

"Eight years ago, as we were on verge of annihilating their organization, Morihiko was injured." Nanami-sensei continued. "The one who fought with him, his assistant, lost his life."

"That's where we, the Planetary Guardians, come in." Guardian _Pluto_ added. "We drove the organization underground, with four of the most experienced of us Guardians keeping tabs on their activities. Now that they have resurfaced," she looked over at Guardian Mercury. "That's why we sent Mercury into the Detective Academy."

"So far, all of these unusual cases you have had were devised by Pluto." Nanami-sensei continued.

"Which is why I wanted to nurture you as soon as possible." Dan-sensei added. "But the danger is closing in much earlier than I had expected. From here onwards, determination and resolve are needed to do this. Of course, we will not force you. If you feel like you don't want to go on, we understand that it can't be helped."

"Mercury, recall your armor." Guardian _Pluto_ instructed.

"Understood." Guardian Mercury nodded and reversed her transformation.

* * *

Later...

"It's..." Megu trailed. "Somewhat kinda scary, no?"

"Dealing with such a dreadful organization, it's too dangerous." Kazuma added.

"Hey Ryu." Kyu walked over to the two silent teens. "Did you know about Pluto?"

"No." Ryu replied.

"I see." Kyu nodded.

"You've got to be kidding." Kinta snapped his fan into two. "Why did they hide such an important secret from us? I can't take this."

"Hey, Kinta!" Kyu chased after older teen. "Wait! Kinta!"

"Let go!" Kinta pushed the boy off. "It's not a problem for me yet." he relented. "I can protect myself. But involving you guys too..."

"Um..." Ukon started.

"Yes?" Kyu blinked.

"You..." Ukon started. "What are you to Megu-tan?" he was before Kyu in a split second.

"Tan..." Kyu echoed.

"I know that you're always with Megu-tan." Ukon glared.

"Ouji!" Megu blinked, recognizing the familiar voice.

"Megu-tan!" Ukon squealed.

"Wait... Ouji... Ouji... Ouji?" Kyu echoed.

"A regular customer at the maid cafe." Megu replied, the rest of the group exiting the Mission Room upon hearing the high-pitched squeal. "Fukunaga Ukon-san."

"I'm Ouji." Ukon stated.

"Ah..." Kyu nodded. "Hello."

"This weird letter was sent to Ouji's house." Megu presented the notice to the group. "And he, knowing that I'm a detective, asked for my help."

"You there!" Ukon pointed a dart to Kyu. "You there! You're too close! Too close! Too close!" he cut in between Kyu and Megu.

"Overprotective much?" Ami grinned.

"Hey." Kazuma voiced. "Isn't this..." he took the note.

"Yeah, it's definitely cryptography." Ryu agreed.

"It's also quite elementary." Ami mused.

"Let me look." Kyu took the letter. "It's true." he agreed.

"Elementary?" Megu echoed. "This?"

"Yeah." Kyu nodded. "This word for revenge is wrong. If you look closely, the same characters were used multiple times. Cross out those that were used more than once. Then connect the rest of the characters."

"A person from Fukunaga will fall with Easter Lilies?" Ami read the remaining characters.

"Fukunaga?" Kazuma echoed.

"Ouji's family name." Megu supplied.

"Here!" Ukon raised his hand.

"'Will fall would mean..." Megu blinked. "Does it mean that someone from the Fukunaga household will die?"

"What's wrong?" Ami inquired when Ryu took the paper from the counter and placed it under a lighted lighter.

"There's a citrus scent." Ryu replied. "It was probably soaked in orange juice or something."

"What is this?" Megu blinked when a symbol showed up.

"Could it be?" Ami recognized the sign. "One of the signs in astrology, Pluto."

"A murder notice from Pluto?" Megu gasped.

"I'm dropping out of this." Kazuma stated.

"Kazuma." Kyu looked at the computer genius who then reentered the Mission Room.

Wordlessly, Ami headed off, Ryu following closely behind.

"Ami, Ryu!" Kyu called. "What about you two?"

"I'll do this." Ryu replied. "This is my destiny after all."

"All of the Guardians, me included, have already sworn a 'Life Oath'." Ami informed. "We _will_ take down Pluto, one way or another, even if it meant losing our lives."

"Alright!" Kyu cheered. "I'll do it too. Sure, Pluto is scary, but if a detective runs away or gives up, the case will remain unsolved, right?"

"Count me in too." Megu added.

"Megu..." Kyu blinked, the three turning to her.

"Because three of you will protect me, right?" Megu reminded.

* * *

In the Fukunaga household...

"I'm Tomoe, his older sister." Tomoe handed the visitors her name card. "Please go ahead and sit down."

"Go ahead, go ahead." Ukon echoed.

"Excuse me." Kyu noted as the four took their seats.

"Ah, geez." Tomoe looked at her brother who was struggling with the potato chips package. "You're always like a child. Okay, be proper."

"Um, what does 'Director Proxy' mean?" Kyu wondered.

"My father is the director." Tomoe replied. "And I don't have the certification. He used to take care of the business, but he had an unfortunate accident."

"Accident?" Ryu echoed.

"It happened a long time ago, but he was unfortunate enough to be poisoned by a blowfish." Tomoe replied. "He lost consciousness and fell down the stairs. His life was miraculously saved but his injury was awful."

"He became bedridden." Ukon supplied and pulled the package open, spilling the chips on the floor. "Ah..." he whined.

"Geez, are you okay?" Tomoe chided.

* * *

In Samon's room...

"Father!" Ukon squealed, bursting into the room.

"What's going on?" the elder Fukunaga looked at his son.

"Hello." Kyu greeted, the four teens entering.

"They're here." Ukon beamed.

"Hello." Megu noted.

"Nice to meet you all." Samon greeted his guests. "I'm Fukunaga Samon. I'd love to welcome you properly, but unfortunately for this body..."

"Oh no, no,no." Kyu assured. "Please don't worry about it."

"I feel bad for Tomoe too." Samon added, allowing Tomoe to sit him up and put a blanket over his shoulders.

"Please don't worry about it." Tomoe assured.

"This girl is responsible, unlike Ukon." Samon laid on his pillow. "She's effectively managing the clinic in my absence. Besides that, she's even taking care of me and cleaning my room."

"Really..." Megu looked around. "It looks really clean."

"You can even do a white glove inspection." Ami agreed.

"Don't let outsiders in without my permission!" Hazuki barked, entering the room.

"Mother..." Tomoe chided.

"I'm sorry, but can you go home?" Hazuki glared at the newcomers. "How stupid. Making a fuss over such an unintelligible letter, it's probably just a prank."

"Unfortunately, it's not unintelligible." Ryu corrected, showing her the altered letter. "This is cryptography. A simple one, in fact. In other words, it was purposely written to be noticed. It says: A person from Fukunaga will fall with Easter Lilies."

"Easter Lilies?" Tomoe echoed.

"The Easter Lily is the official flower of the Fukunaga." Samon supplied.

"This is an Easter Lily." Tomoe showed the four detectives a picture of the flower. "'Will fall with Easter Lilies..' Could it mean that someone will die?"

"Oh yeah!" Ukon suddenly shouted and stumbled out. "Umm... you know, you know..." he returned with his sketches. "I also drew a picture of an Easter Lily. Here, look here. This."

"It's so poorly done, that I'm surprised." Megu stated after Ukon handed out the sketches.

"Hey, isn't this weird?" Kyu noted. "Fukunaga's 'Naga' become 'Koori'."

"Ah, about that." Samon remarked. "It's been Ukon's habit since he was a child."

* * *

Outside the Fukunaga household...

"Wasn't Tomoe-san too polite?" Kyu wondered. "Especially her use of words with her father. It's like they're not family."

"I don't think they're related by blood." Megu remarked. "They both remarried. Tomoe-san is the child of Hazuki-san."

"Then Tomoe-san and Ukon-san aren't related by blood?" Kyu surmised.

"Yeah.." Megu nodded. "Is there something you two are curious about?" she and Kyu walked over to the other two.

"Is there anything you know about the father's accident?" Ryu asked.

"Not that I know of." Megu replied.

"Blowfish, if prepared correctly, won't poison the consumer." Ami stated.

"Ah, I know." Megu thought of something. "Let's get Kinta to talk with that information lady... except..."

"He's not here." Ami finished the sentence.

"Kazuma's not here either, so there's no access to the computer either." Kyu added.

"What's wrong?" Megu asked, noticing Ami's sudden frown and her focus shifted to the lily garden.

"No, it's nothing." Ami replied. "My senses just went haywire, no biggie."

Cerberus just smirked in the botanical gardens as he watched the teens walk off.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"I'm checked Dan Morihiko's past." Haruka told Kinta as she cleaned her ET model. "I had a hard time, because there's no data left."

"So, how was it?" Kinta asked.

"It's true that he lost his assistant, who was his right-hand man at that time." Haruka replied. "His assistant's name is Renjou Satoru."

"Renjou Satoru, huh?" Kinta mused.

"He died by a sudden attack with a gun." Haruka added. "The culprit was never caught. Are you okay?" she asked, noticing Kinta's stern expression. "That look on your face now, it looks like the old you."

* * *

That night...

Hazuki entered the attic. "I'm here." she stated. "Come out!" she demanded, a knife behind her back. "You want to talk, right?" stumbling over a doll, she let out a terrified scream. "What the..." she composed herself. Standing up, she winced when a touch-light was flashed onto her face. Her eyes widening at the knife in the intruder's hands, she didn't have time to respond when the shadow plunged the blade into her chest.

* * *

The next day...

"So much pollen..." Nekoda sneezed after sniffling a flower. "The culprit should be a florist, right?"

"Must be nice." Moroboshi noted. "To be so simple."

"Thank you very much." Nekoda nodded, the two detectives standing up, the camera showing Hazuki's body in a large doll box, surrounded by lilies, the knife still in her chest.

* * *

In Samon's room...

Tomoe sobbed by her step-father's bed.

At the door, Megu's focus shifted to the arranged books on the shelf.

Ami's attention, however, was caught by the sight of a smirking Cerberus outside the window. Stepping back, she yakked her Caduceus pendent off her neck and took off after Cerberus with Ryu on her trail. Noticing the two teens were gone, Kyu took off after them.

* * *

Outside the Fukunaga household...

"Release!" Ami summoned her armor, her Caduceus pendent extended into her trademark weapon, Hermes' winged sandals appeared on her feet and she leapt into the botanical garden.

Looking around, Ryu followed the Ice Guardian into the walled-up garden.

* * *

In the botanical garden...

"You're here, right?" Guardian Mercury stated. "Show yourself, Cerberus." she pointed her weapon at Cerberus.

"So, this is your people's doing?" Ryu, too, had arrived.

"We have not lifted a single finger." Cerberus reminded. "We simply saved a client who was a little confused."

"What you're doing is a crime." Ryu remarked, taking his place beside the Ice Guardian and unaware that Kyu had hidden himself behind a tree.

"It sounds like you're saying that because you can't catch Pluto." Cerberus taunted.

"I'm serious." Ryu corrected.

"Well then, shall we have a bet?" Cerberus challenged.

"Bet?" Ryu echoed.

Turning towards the tree Kyu hid behind, Cerberus smirked, "If you, Ryu-sama, can fully solve the murder plan that I have devised, I'll confess everything to the police and obediently get handcuffed. If you can't, Kyu-kun, is his name right? Please confess in front of him and his friends, that you, Ryu-sama, is the legitimate successor of Pluto. How about it? Interesting bet, right?"

"Alright." Ryu replied. "I'll take it on."

"Ryu..." Guardian Mercury protested, reversing her transformation.

"I'll be alright." Ryu assured his partner. "Let's go back."

"Ryu is..." Kyu slowly stood from his hiding place as the two exited. "Pluto's successor."

* * *

In the Fukunaga living room...

"This is the letter that was left at the crime scene." Megu stated. "It seems that the culprit used this to call Hazuki-san out."

"Tonight, in the attic, regarding the sin you committed in the Fukunaga household, let's talk about it." Kyu read.

"I'm back." Nekoda returned with a lily. "Here it is."

"It's the flower that adorned on Hazuki-san's dead body." Moroboshi supplied.

"'Falling with the Easter Lilies'." Kyu repeated. "So this is the meaning of that?"

"That's not right." Megu objected.

"This flower is a type of lily, but it's not an Easter Lily." Ami agreed. "It's a Formosa Lily."

"Nekoda-san." Megu winked, forming a heart with her hands.

"Certainly." Nekoda went ga-ga.

"Feminine whimsies indeed, Megu." Ami raised an eyebrow.

"Here."Nekoda placed the info book on the table.

"Their flowers look the same, but the shape of the leaves is different." Megu stated. "The leaves of this one were found at the crime scene. "After investigation, all the flowers at the crime scene were Formosa Lilies. It seems that you can get Easter Lilies at the botanical garden next door and you can easily order it from florists. But on the other hand, for Formosa Lilies, you can't get them unless you go to the municipal park 5 kilometers from here."

Why did the culprit go through the trouble of using Formosa Lilies over the easily attainable Easter Lilies?" Ami wondered.

"Um, they look the same." Nekoda suggested. "So couldn't it be that it was just a mistake?"

"Idiot!" Moroboshi chided. "If it was that simple, we wouldn't be discussing it."

"I see." Nekoda nodded.

"Uh, don't you two have your own investigation to do or something?" Kyu pointed out.

"Oh, don't misunderstand." Moroboshi started. "It's not like we're trying to learn from your deduction. It's not really like that. We're just comparing, right?"

"Right..." Ami muttered in heavy sarcasm. "What's it with adults and not admitting the truth?"

"By the way, Megu." Kyu raised his hand. "Do you remember the front gate of the botanical garden?"

"Yeah." Megu nodded.

"Do you know what time they open and close?" Kyu inquired.

"They open at 9 am and close at 6pm." Megu recalled.

"I see." Kyu made the connection. "In short, the culprit didn't want to be seen so he avoided taking action during the day."

"Here you go." Tomoe served the guests tea.

"Tomoe-san?" Ami voiced.

"Yes?" Tomoe blinked.

"It says here in this letter the sins Hazuki-san committed." Ryu took the letter. "Do you know anything about it?"

"Just a while ago, the police also asked me the same question." Tomoe replied. "I don't know anything."

"Is that so?" Ami remarked.

"But Ukon-san." Ryu turned to Ukon. "You know, right? The sin Hazuki-san committed."

"Ukon does?" Tomoe echoed. "Why?"

"The one who wrote this letter..." Ryu stood up. "Ukon-san, it's you!"

"Ukon's habit..." Tomoe blinked, noticing that 'Koori' was used instead of 'Naga'.

"Eh?" Ukon blinked. "No... well... anyone can make that mistake."

"Stop lying already." Ryu stated. "You call Hazuki-san to the attic."

"Wait Ryu." Kyu and Ami protested.

"I think that deduction is impossible." Kyu voiced. "The mistake may be Ukon-san's habit."

"But it was written using a computer." Ami reminded. "You can make a mistake when you write it by hand, but using a computer, it'll change to Fukunaga."

"I don't think it'll become koori." Kyu agreed.

"Kyu-kun, Ami-san..." Ukon looked at his savers "You've saved me!"

"That's not it!" Ryu snapped. "What I've always been curious about," he added, stepping out. "Is why you're obviously acting. Acting like a child and trying..."

"Ryu!" Ami cut him off.

"What's wrong?" Kyu was concerned. "You're not acting like yourself. You usually deduce with calmness and logic. I understand your impatience, but..."

"Impatience?" Ryu echoed. "Why would I be impatient?"

"What is it with the male species and their damn prides?" Ami sighed and Kyu took off after Ryu.

* * *

Outside the Fukunaga household...

"Wait, Ryu!" Kyu caught up. "Wait!"

"Let go!" Ryu snapped when Kyu caught his wrist.

"I won't!" Kyu insisted.

"What part of me is being impatient?" Ryu repeated his question.

"It's because of your bet with Pluto, right?" Kyu guessed.

"Could it be..." Ryu gasped.

"Sorry, I overheard." Kyu apologized. "Your talk with that Cerberus guy. I told you, right? Once before, that Cerberus person appeared in front of me."

"Just like you heard." Ryu confirmed. "I'm the legitimate successor of Pluto."

"I can't believe that." Kyu was stunned.

"I don't want to believe it either." Ryu admitted. "My grandfather, who raised me since I was young, and the people around me all along."

"Grandfather?" Kyu echoed.

"My grandfather is the person who established Pluto." Ryu confessed. "A man called King Hades."

"King Hades?" Kyu echoed.

"Go tell Dan-sensei or the police as you like." Ryu added.

"I won't!" Kyu shouted. "It doesn't matter who your grandfather is, Ryu, we're friends, right? That's what I believe, that's why..."

"Don't say that you can believe someone so easily!" Ryu snapped, grabbing onto Kyu's shirt. "You don't understand anything. How much I abhor my own kind. I will fight this cursed existence by myself. I won't cause trouble for you guys."

"Enough, the two of you!" Ami retorted sharply, causing Ryu to release Kyu. "This isn't the time to start fighting. If you two don't combine your efforts, we can't fight Pluto, can we? This case hasn't been solved yet. Now, get in!" she ordered. "Don't make me pull rank."

Not wanting to argue with their fuming group leader, both boys returned to the house.

"Quite a powerful girl." Yurie noted in the botanical garden. "Because of her, the plan failed. The trap to break up the friendship between Ryu-sama and Kyu-kun."

* * *

In the Mission Room...

Kazuma was lazily stacking up the Reversi counters. "Ah!" he gasped when the magnetic tower collapsed when his cellphone rang. "Hello?" he answered.

"Kazuma, what are you doing right now?" Megu asked. "Are you busy?"

"I'm currently thinking of the 'Earth King' level." Kazuma lied.

"What are you talking about?" Megu asked. "Anyway, we need you, Kazuma! There's something I'd like you to investigate."

"No way, no way." Kazuma protested. "I've already decided that I'm not getting involved in any case relate Pluto."

"Don't say that ." Megu chided. "Please!"

"No way, no way!" Kazuma insisted. "Definitely not!"

"Megu, may I?" came Ami's dangerously calm voice over the phone.

* * *

Later in the Fukunaga household...

"Thank you, Kazuma." Megu beamed, Ami having pulled rank on Kazuma to get the computer genius to aid them.

"I'm going home after this." Kazuma remarked.

"Um, this is the only computer in this house, right?" Kyu inquired.

"Yes." Tomoe nodded.

"What are you doing?" Moroboshi asked.

"If this letter was written on this computer, I think we'd be able to know when it was created." Kyu replied.

"But, the file would've been deleted, no?" Nekoda reasoned. "You know, to get rid of evidence."

"There's not a problem if it's Kazuma." Kyu assured. "Right?"

"Alright, it's here." Kazuma pulled out the deleted file. "July 27, 2007, 3:05AM."

"As expected of Kazuma." Megu beamed when Kazuma restored the file.

"Really, you guys..." Kazuma sighed. "You can't do anything without me, can you?"

"During the day, who uses this computer?" Ryu asked.

"I use it the most." Tomoe replied. "But Ukon and mother would sometimes use it too."

"So that means, for anyone to be using this computer, isn't anything strange, is it?" Ami reasoned.

"Yes." Tomoe agreed.

"Then, why did the culprit go through the trouble of using the computer in the middle of the night?" Kyu wondered, taking his place beside the two.

"Well, that's because the culprit didn't want to be seen." Moroboshi remarked.

"But if it was me, I wouldn't want to be suspicious." Megu voiced. "I would've typed it secretly while pretending to do something else."

"Yeah, with regards to the flowers or the computer, things that can be done during the day without arousing suspicion were done during the night." Ami agreed.

"There's something I'm curious about." Megu stated.

"What?" Kyu asked and Megu whispered something into the three brains' ears.

"I see!" the three chorused.

"We _really_ need to stop doing that." Ami sighed.

* * *

In the cemetery...

"Renjou..." Kinta searched for the gravestone. "Renjou... Dan-sensei?" he blinked, noticing Dan-sensei in front of a headstone and hurried over when he saw Dan-sensei coughing. "Dan-sensei!" he called.

"I'm alright." Dan-sensei assured, wiping off the blood from his mouth.

"Alright?" Kinta echoed. "But the blood..."

"I would like to keep it a secret from Q Class that I don't have much time left." Dan-sensei stated. "Touyama." he added, noticing Kinta's glance at the headstone's name. "Do you know the most important thing for a detective?"

"Eh?" Kinta blinked.

"Of course, deduction skills are needed." Dan-sensei replied. "But the most important thing is the courage and justice to fight against evil. You guys are still inexperienced, but only on that point, you won't lose to me or Nanami. Q Class is a wonderful team. According to Nanami's report, right now, they are after a case involving Pluto. Something unexpected might happen. In that case, the only one who can protect them is you."

* * *

In Samon's room...

"Guys, the culprit this time has a certain characteristic." Kyu started. "This is, things that can be done during the day without arousing suspicion, were done during the night. That became obvious because of the computer and the flowers. Why did the culprit, while normally doing normally unsuspicious things, want to avoid being seen? That's probably because the culprit would look suspicious in doing even normal activities."

"Tomoe-san?" Megu voiced.

"Yes?" Tomoe asked.

"When was the last time you cleaned Samon-san's room?" Megu inquired.

"I believe about a week ago." Tomoe replied.

"No one touched those, right?" Kyu pointed to the arranged books.

"The order of the books there is different from yesterday." Megu supplied. "Yesterday, it was Gogh, Monet, then Renoir. But today, Gogh and Monet have been interchanged."

"Samon-san." Kyu continued. "The culprit is you!"

"But, father is..." Tomoe objected.

"It's true that Samon-san, who can't even get up and stand, can't even touch those books, no matter how hard he tries to reach out." Ryu agreed.

"But, what if..." Ami continued, reaching into her waist porch. "That's a lie?" she approached the bed. Removing a senbon needle from her porch, she stabbed it onto the bed, forcing Samon to react instinctively to dodge the sudden attack. "That's it, I guess." Ami shrugged, returning her needle to its original place and walked back to where she original stood.

"I was careless." Samon admitted and got off the bed, proving himself cured as he walked.

"Why... father?" Tomoe gasped.

"That woman targeted my fortune." Samon replied. "I was conscious enough to know who poisoned me with the blowfish. Blowfish poisoning paralyzes the whole body, but it doesn't affect the cranial nerves." he stated, recalling how Hazuki had dragged him to the up of the staircase and kicked him down the stairway. "Hazuki probably didn't know. She finally showed her true identity. It's true at first, the lower half of my body was paralyzed and I couldn't move. But, one year ago, because of the rehabilitation that I secretly took, I was able to move. I didn't tell anymore because I wanted to abide by the plan of that evil woman. But, however..."

_

* * *

Flashback_

"_Giving the inheritance to your stupid son will only increase the number of victims." Hazuki whispered a warning as she entered Samon's bedroom one night._

* * *

"I wanted to avoid letting her hand reach Ukon." Samon added. "That's why... once and for all, with my own hands..." he returned to his bed and drank the glass of water. "You know, Ukon is a smart kid."

"Eh?" Moroboshi echoed.

"He was the first one to realize the truth about my accident." Samon replied. "That's why he acted like a child, because he wanted to protect himself. Isn't that right, Ukon?"

"I'm not fully convinced." Megu remarked after Ukon pulled off the bandanna on his head. "If you loved your son that much, why did you make a letter that would make him suspicious to call out Hazuki-san?"

"Even if he became suspicious at first, that would be solved easily and so he'd never be doubted again." Ami answered. "That was the plan, wasn't it Samon-san?" she asked.

"Yes." Samon nodded.

"The one who planned this wasn't you, right?" Ami wanted to affirm her suspicion. "The name of the organization who proposed the plan is Pluto, am I right?"

"We contacted each other through this cellphone." Samon removed the cellphone he had hidden inside one of the book covers. "As far as I know, they're..."

"Eh?" Ukon gasped when his father vomited out blood and collapsed onto the floor. "Father, what's wrong? Father?"

"Move!" Ami barked, her Guardian Ring already pulled out as she readied to activate her power. "Kazuma, check the glass!"

"Right!" Kazuma hurried over to the bedside.

"Release!" Ami called forth her power.

"Poison!" Kazuma reported. "There was poison in the water."

"It's too late." Ami sighed, revoking her energy. "He's gone."

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Taking Pluto's murder notice, the use of a cellphone instead of meeting face-to-face and the use of poison to silence Samon-san into consideration," Kazuma listed the abnormalities. "Something just isn't right."

"Maybe," Ami voiced.

"The one who gave Samon-san the murder plan wasn't Pluto." Ryu finished her thought.

"Then who did it?" Megu mused.

"There's another one." Ami replied. "The cellphone's location."

"If you hide it there, it'll be found when someone cleans, right?" Kyu asked, following Ami's reasoning. "And the person who would notice that... that's how it is." he realized. "Ami!" he looked at the girl.

"Yeah." Ami nodded. "It could only be _that person_."

With her confirmation, the group dashed off the the Fukunaga household.

* * *

In the Fukunaga kitchen...

"Ukon..." Tomoe looked at her step-brother.

"You noticed it, right?" Ukon inquired. "That I was acting."

"I didn't." Tomoe insisted.

"No." Ukon corrected. "You probably knew that Father could walk already."

"What are you trying to say?" Tomoe chided

"I know." Ukon stated. "Everything was planned by you, right?"

"What?" Tomoe turned to face the counter.

"If the real Pluto approached Father, they've would talked to him directly." Ukon replied. "But never meeting face-to-face and using the cellphone to contact each other, is something they would never do."

"What is this, Ukon?" Tomoe turned to face him.

"You manipulated Hazuki-san to kill Father." Ukon remarked. "Then, after that, in order to silence him, you poisoned Father. The one who pulled all the strings was you."

"Do you have any evidence?" Tomoe asked.

"I do." Ukon replied, approaching his step-sister. "I have plenty of evidence. You can't run away anymore. Nee-san?" he blinked before Tomoe plunged the kitchen knife into his stomach.

"How unfortunate, Ukon." Tomoe remarked. "If you had continued to act like an idiot, you wouldn't have to die." having said that, Ukon collapsed onto the floor.

"Ouji!" Megu gasped, seeing her fallen friend, the detective group having arrived on scene.

"So, it really was you, Tomoe-san." Kyu commented when Tomoe pulled out another knife, forcing the group to back off and flee into the living room.

"Sorry, but you guys too." Tomoe stated, having cornered the teens.

"Where's Kinta?" Kyu asked.

"He's not here." Kazuma replied.

"That blockhead is never around when it gets tough." Megu complained.

"Excuse me for being a blockhead." Kinta commented, having arrived in the nick of time. "If you're getting involved in a case with Pluto, hurry and ask for help."

"Kinta." Kyu breathed in relief as Tomoe charged at the newcomer.

"It's never my policy to attack women but it can't be helped." Kinta sidestepped the attack, holding her wrists in place.

"Then stop." Ukon entered the room as Tomoe dropped the knife. "You've finally exposed your true colors, little princess. The action you just took is the most incriminating evidence." pulling out the knife, he revealed a hidden book underneath his clothes.

"Who are you?" Tomoe stammered. "You're not Ukon!"

"Don't tell me..." Ami muttered.

"Dan Detective Academy, Nanami Kotarou." Nanami-sensei pulled off his disguise.

"I knew it!" Ami sighed.

"When did this happen?" Tomoe gaped.

"Just a while ago." Nanami-sensei grinned.

"Nanami-sensei." the group clustered before him.

"Good job finding out the truth." Nanami-sensei remarked.

"I wasn't fully convinced." Kyu started. "The cellphone that Samon-san hid, it wouldn't been weird for you to notice it while cleaning. But you didn't notice. No, you noticed it, but you ignored it." he corrected.

"You wanted Samon-san to kill Hazuki-san." Ryu continued.

"The truth behind this case is this: the client who received the murder plan from Pluto, is you, Tomoe-san."

"Most likely, that plan made use of Samon-san's intent to kill." Ami stated. "You approached him, pretending to be Pluto. Then you manipulated Samon-san and made use of him to kill Hazuki-san."

"Through Pluto's murder notice, we were involved in this case." Kyu continued as Tomoe sank to her knees, her plans revealed. "Because in order to complete the plan, to expose Samon-san, you needed someone to act as a detective."

"And in order to silence him, you poisoned Samon-san." Ryu added.

"Why did you do such a terrible thing?" Megu asked, not understanding.

"I..." Tomoe started. "Wanted to be alone. A mother who kept remarrying, targeting her husbands' fortune. Taking over a clinic I didn't want to take over. What's the meaning of my life? I didn't want to live a life that exists for the convenience of my parents. I wanted to be alone and free. I've cursed my own life and fate."

"You can't live alone." Kyu stated. "It's the same with us. Only because the six of us combined our strengths. Humans beings can't do anything by themselves. That's why there are friends."

"Nee-san." Ukon started.

"Ukon..." Tomoe looked at her step-brother.

Without a word, Ukon presented his step-sister a carbon sketch of herself. "I should've noticed your suffering much earlier." he said.

Unable to watch anymore, Kyu walked out.

"Sensei, can a detective really save someone else?" Kyu inquired when Nanami-sensei followed him to the door.

"If a detective gives up, the case will remain unsolved." Nanami-sensei reminded. "Don't you yourself always say that? Someday, that heart will save someone." he gave Kyu an encouraging punch to the chest.

"Yes." Kyu nodded.

* * *

Later...

"Here." Megu handed Kyu a plastic cup of juice.

"Ah, thank you." Kyu took the cup.

"Hey, Kyu." Megu started. "Did something happen with Ryu?"

"Eh?" Kyu blinked. "No... that's... erm..."

"I get it." Megu concluded. "It's alright. Tell me everything when the time is right, okay?"

"Thank you." Kyu smiled.

"You're welcome." Megu returned the smile.

* * *

On the streets...

Ryu stopped in his tracks when he saw Yurie.

"Isn't it great?" Yurie inquired. "You didn't have to tell your friends the truth. Have you made your decision already?"

"Yeah." Ryu replied. "I've made my decision."

"Is that so?" Yurie noted.

"Let me meet with my grandfather." Ryu requested.

* * *

In her room in the Guardians' mansion...

Removing the thread necklace from around her neck, Ami clutched the ring tightly in her hand, her eyes flashing in determination. _Yes._ She decided. _It is time I faced _him _and my past again._

* * *

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.


	7. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Seven

SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 6 goes up. This is Chapter 7 and no review. No one is reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope' and her current muse): Great, now you non-reviewing readers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Digivolves into Angewomon and fires a 'Heaven's Charm' at the non-reviewing readers)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 7: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Seven

* * *

Time passes, in a theater...

"Please stop!" the main actor tried to halt the main actress from plunging the dagger into her throat.

"What cursed fate this is!" the main actress cried.

"Princess!" the main actor stated. "I will, even at the cost my my life, protect you!"

"But, we're up against the immortal vampire, Camilla!" the main actress declared.

"Catherine!" Ryouko laughed as she appeared. "Stop your futile efforts and kneel before me. Your life is my own, you can't go against fate!"

"Stop, stop!" the director cut in.

"Wait, why are you stopping me?" Ryouko fumed.

"Can you tone down that line a little bit more?" the director requested.

"In my own way, I'm evaluating things." Ryouko retorted. "Watch it till the end before you say anything. I'm not feeling well, so break time."

"What's with that attitude?" the director snapped as Ryouko stormed off.

"I'm sorry." Okajima apologized.

"Where's her manager, Mimasaka?" the director inquired.

"Well, he didn't show up today." Okajima replied. "I'll go to the dresser room to talk to Ryouko-san."

"Yeah." the director replied.

"I'll go with you." Maki offered.

"Who does she think she is?" the female lead fumed.

* * *

Backstage...

"Tagushi-san." Maki knocked on the door.

"Hey Ryouko-san, can we talk you for a bit?" Okajima requested "Ryouko-san? We're coming in. Ryouko-san?" she hurriedly drew the curtains apart, seeing the broken and opened window.

Seeing Ryouko's body, Maki let out a scream.

"Maki, are you alright?" Okajima asked, worriedly."Wait here, I'll call everyone."

* * *

The next day...

"Good morning." Kyu greeted the group, entering the Mission Room. "Where's Ryu?"

"He didn't come again." Megu replied. "This is the 3rd day. He's not even answering his cellphone."

"Ever since the last case, he's been acting weird." Kinta added.

"Could he be scared of Pluto?" Kazuma suggested.

"Ryu isn't a coward." Kyu interjected.

"Kyu, is there something you know?" Kinta asked the teen.

"No, not really." Kyu replied. "Well..."

"Just leave him alone for now." Ami advised. "Ryu will come back, for sure. I choose to believe in the one I gave my heart to."

Before the rest could ask her what she meant, Nanami-sensei entered. Ignoring the group's dejected sighs, he approached the eldest of the team. "Touyama," he started.

"Good morning." Kinta replied.

"You're aware that last night in a theater in Akihabara, there was a murder, right?" Nanami-sensei prodded.

"Ah, yes." Kinta nodded.

"The police would like to talk with you about that." Nanami-sensei replied.

"With me?" Kinta echoed.

* * *

At the police station...

"I'll explain the investigation so far." Moroboshi started. "Last night, Tagushi Ryouko, an actress in the theatrical company Akibagumi was murdered. The fingerprints on the knife left at the crime scene have been investigated. And we've arrested a suspect. It's this man."

"Ryuusuke?" Kinta recognized.

"Someone you know?" Megu inquired.

"In the past, he was like a shatei." Kinta replied. "Did Ryuusuke..."

"Mimasaka Ryuusuke is a manager of the theatrical company Akibagumi." Nekoda supplied. "He had an argument with the victim, Tagushi Ryouko who wanted to transfer to another large-scale talent company."

"What is that idiot doing?" Kinta cursed.

"We took him in for questioning." Moroboshi added. "But he wouldn't talk. However, he said that he'd tell you everything."

* * *

In the interrogation room...

"Kinta-san!" Ryuusuke beamed. "It's been awhile."

"What's the big deal with involving other people?" Kinta growled, gripping his shirt. "It's a real bother to me."

"But still, you cam to see me." Ryuusuke reminded.

"Is it true that you killed somebody?" Kinta asked, releasing him.

"You've got to be kidding." Ryuusuke replied. "I didn't kill anyone."

"I heard you were arguing with Tagushi Ryouko because she wanted to transfer?" Kinta inquired.

"She's our main attraction after all." Ryuusuke replied. "But that's been settled with already."

"Then the knife that was used?" Kinta pressed. "It's yours, right?"

"Maybe someone is trying to blame me for it." Ryuusuke reasoned.

"Then your alibi?" Kinta asked. "Where were you during the time of the crime?"

"I was scouting in Akihabara." Ryuusuke replied.

"Then, you gave out your business cards out, right?" Kinta asked.

"Well yesterday, no one took any of my business cards." Ryuusuke winced.

"Then, nothing will come out of this!" Kinta retorted.

"That's why I got you to come." Ryuusuke complained.

"And what do you want me to do?" Kinta inquired.

"Please prove my innocence." Ryuusuke requested.

"Huh?" Kinta echoed.

"My little sister's wedding ceremony is tomorrow night." Ryuusuke replied. "Our parents died when we were young. It's always been just the two of us. So it's been her dream since she was young to have her own family. At this rate, I won't just be unable to attend, they may break off their engagement. Her dream will be ruined because of me. There's no one I can rely on, except for you."

"Don't say such selfish things!" Kinta barked. "Have you forgotten about what you did 3 years ago?"

* * *

In the corridor...

"Wait a minute, Kinta." Kyu voiced as Kinta stormed out of the interrogation room.

"Kinta." Ami voiced. "What happened with that man 3 years ago?"

"In the past, we pretended to be detectives and sorted out some troubles." Kinta replied. "Although we may look like this, we were actually dependable. But that trust was broken by him. Without saying anything, he started exhorting money from different shops, saying it's a bodyguard's fee. And he left restaurants without paying. Because of that, we lost their trust. The team broke up. There's no reason for me to help him."

"But you know, it doesn't look to me that he's lying." Nanami-sensei pointed out.

"You're thinking that way too, right?" Ami asked knowingly.

"If my instincts serve me right, the culprit's probably trying to force a false accusation on him." Nanami-sensei reasoned. "In short, a false charge. But still, you're going to leave him alone?"

"Excuse me." Kinta walked off.

* * *

On the streets...

"That idiot..." Kinta fumed. "I shouldn't have seen him. Megu!" he blinked when the girl popped up in front of him.

"You're investigating after all." Megu declared. "It can't be helped. I'll go with you."

"Huh?" Kinta echoed.

"Because you go berserk when you get excited." Megu replied. "I'll control and grip it in my hands. Let's go." she prodded.

"Hey, wait a minute." Kinta protested.

"Go! Go!" Megu cheered.

* * *

At the juice bar...

"There you are." the waitress presented Nanami-sensei his order.

"Thank you." Nanami-sensei winked. "Is that coffee?" he looked over at his companion.

"Yup, and it's black." Kazuma replied.

"Megu, you're with Kinta?" Kyu echoed. "Hey, were are you right now? We're going to help too. She hung up," he looked at his cellphone.

"Rejected." Ami grinned mischievously.

"Kyu," Nanami-sensei started. "This request was taken by Touyama personally. Let him do what he wants until he's satisfied."

"Kinta's too cold." Kyu whined.

"By the way, where's Amakusa today?" Nanami-sensei inquired, noticing the missing teen.

"Well," Kazuma replied. "He hasn't been showing up lately."

"Oh, I see." Nanami-sensei noted. "He probably sulking at home after being beaten by Pluto."

Nanami-sensei's next remark was cut off when Ami cast a death glare at him.

* * *

Meanwhile...

An indecisive Ryu stood on the road opposite of the building, before walking off.

"I have a message from Hades-sama." Yurie informed. "This afternoon at 3, he will pick you up by car. "It's been awhile since you saw each other, so Hades-sama is looking forward to this meeting."

* * *

In the theatrical company...

"The theatrical company, Akibagumi, is operating mainly in Akihabara." Megu related.

"You know a lot, Megu." Kinta noted.

"They're pretty popular." Megu replied. "Popular theatrical companies usually appear in movies or TV."

"Eh?" Kinta drawled.

"Then first, let's see the members of the theatrical company." Megu suggested.

"You're right." Kinta agreed.

"Go, go!" Megu cheered.

"Things weren't going well with Mimasaka-san." one of the actors remarked.

"Ryouko-san was supposed to quit this theatrical company after this last performance." his female lead added.

"Yeah, I heard that she was being scouted by a large-scale talent agency." Megu remarked.

"It's a huge opportunity for Ryouko-san too, so I can't blame her." the male actor remarked.

"As for Mimasaka-san, he'd lose a large sponsor, so he didn't want to let her go." the actress commented.

"Sponsor?" Kinta echoed.

"Her dad is a famous member of the congress." the male actor supplied. "And he's always taking care of Akibagumi's performance expenses."

"So when you think about it, Mimasaka-san might be the vampire." the actress added.

"Eh?" Kinta exclaimed. "They were going out?"

"Mimasaka worked really hard." the stage manager replied. "But ever since Ryouko brought up the transfer, thing have been awkward."

"Ryouko-san is strong-willed." his assistant added.

"When Mimasaka was caught, I thought to myself, 'I knew it.'." the stage manager concluded.

"Is that so..." Megu noted. "Come on." she pulled Kinta aside. "All these testimonies are unfavorable to us."

"I'm sorry, I'm late." Maki apologized.

"Ah, I'll introduce you." the stage manager started. "She's one of the people who discovered the body. Nishizawa Maki from production."

"Hello." Kinta and Maki exchanged pleasantries.

"The truth is, on the day of the crime, during rehearsal, Tagushi-san went back to the dressing room without permission." Maki led them to the crime scene. "So assistant director, Okajima-san and myself, we went to call her. When we came in, Tagushi-san was already on the floor with blood on her back. I fainted after seeing that and Okajima-san hastily called everyone. It's that room." the trio had arrived to the dressing room which was cornered off by the police.

"Thank you very much." Megu remarked.

"Excuse me." Maki excused herself.

"Good work." Kinta told the guard on duty and proceeded to enter the crime scene.

"Hey, wait, wait." the guard pulled him back. "Unauthorized personnel are not allowed."

"Don't be stingy." Kinta retorted. "Just for a little bit."

"Sorry." Megu placed herself between the arguing parties. "I'm really sorry. Do you want to get arrested too" she chided, pulling Kinta aside. "It's not like we're acting on behalf of the Detective Academy right now."

"Then what are we going to do?" Kinta wondered.

"Let's look for some witnesses." Megu suggested. "If we can find people who saw him scouting during the time of the crime, his alibi will be completed."

* * *

On the streets...

"I don't know him." a group of girls answered Kinta and Megu's inquiry.

"Thank you very much." the two replied.

"Alright, let's go there." Kinta suggested.

"Okay." Megu agreed.

* * *

Elsewhere...

Ryu was heading towards the pickup point, unaware that Nanami-sensei was trailing him.

Tracer gun in hand, Nanami-sensei shot the tracer bug onto Ryu's bag and exited the scene.

* * *

On the streets...

"Um, excuse me." Kinta and Megu stopped random passer-bys. "Have you seen this person? Last night, did this man..."

In a nearby resthouse...

"It won't be easy to find one after all." Kinta sighed.

"It was night-time when Mimasaka-san went scouting." Megu reasoned. "So it was dark and would've been difficult to see."

"Ryuusuke's sister's wedding is tomorrow night." Kinta added. "At the latest, we need to come up with something by tomorrow at noon. I'll give it another round."

"Hey, Kinta." Megu voiced. "Let's get Kyu and the others to help out. The more people searching, the better, right?"

"Megu." Kinta stated. "There are times when a man needs to do something without getting the help from others."

"This isn't the time to be acting cool." Megu chided.

"Who are you?" Kinta looked at the two men who had appeared in front of them.

"Please come with us." one of the officers requested, showing his badge.

"Police?" Kinta echoed.

* * *

Elsewhere...

Nanami-sensei had followed Ryu all the way to the pickup point, his camera lowering when he saw Yurie and Cerberus beside a black car and Ryu was heading towards it.

* * *

At the junction...

"Hades-sama is waiting inside." Yurie informed.

"Please wait a minute." Cerberus requested. "You can't be rude, after all." he tidied Ryu's clothes up and opened the door. "Go ahead." he gestured. "Nanami-kun." he spoke into the trap-wire he had retrieved from Ryu's bag after the car drove off with Yurie in the front seat. "You can't trust your own student, huh? You're a failure as a teacher." he added, Nanami-sensei wincing at his chuckle through his earpiece.

* * *

At the nearby stairway...

"Bastard..." Nanami-sensei growled, removing his earpiece.

* * *

In the police station...

"What's the big deal?" Kinta asked.

"The top people ordered that we watch you guys here." Moroboshi replied.

"And your reason?" Megu asked.

"Dad." Kinta looked at his father who had entered the meeting room.

"Looking shabby as usual, huh?" the elder Touyama looked at his son.

"Superintendent Touyama..." Nekoda stammered. "Could he be..."

"My good-for-nothing son." the superintendent replied.

"No way!" Megu was astonished.

"Good-for-nothing is unnecessary." Kinta remarked. "That aside, what's the big deal?

"Don't poke your nose where it's not wanted." the superintendent warned.

"Why would the great police superintendent personally come?" Kinta snorted. "It's not even that big of a case. Or, is there something you don't want us to discover?"

"Don't be arrogant!" the elder Touyama barked. "What can someone like you do?"

"I don't want to be told that by someone who sold his soul to political power." Kinta replied.

"I don't care if you'll regret this eventually." the superintendent warned.

"Those words..." Kinta started. "Are my exact thoughts for you."

* * *

On the streets...

"For your father to be the police bureaucrat, I was shocked." Megu admitted. "But, truth to be told, I hate those kind of people. Adults who look down on other people"

"Before, he wasn't like that." Kinta replied. "He had justice and feelings engraved right here." he pounded his heart.

"Eh?" Megu blinked.

"A few years ago, a friend of mine was targeted in the city and was badly injured." Kinta explained. "The culprit was immediately found. It was a cram school student who had failed the exams. However, the case was buried in the darkness."

"What do you mean by that?" Megu was confused.

"The father of that cram school student was a high-status person." Kinta replied. "The police crushed everyone who was involved in the scandal."

"That's cruel." Megu breathed. "What the hell?"

"That's true." Kinta confirmed. "But the one who executed that, by the orders of higher authorities, was my father. 'To protect the dignity of the police.'." he quoted. "That was my father's excuse. But, no matter what, I wasn't fully convinced. Unable to stand my father, I ran away from home."

"What now?" Megu wondered. "After all our investigations, the testimonies are unfavorable for Mimasaka-san."

"It's true that there's not a single piece of evidence to prove Ryuusuke's innocence." Kinta admitted. "But I believed that he didn't do it."

"Mimasaka was a worthless bro, right?" Megu reminded. "Why are you trying to help someone like that?"

"Well, that's..." Kinta snorted.

"I like that about you, Kinta." Megu stated.

"Megu..." Kinta blinked

"Alright." Megu decided. "If you're going to go that far, I'll believe in Mimasaka-san too. Your instincts are more reliable than any evidence. Alright, let's go then."

"Eh?" Kinta blinked. "Where to?"

"It's a secret." Megu smiled.

"Huh" Kinta blinked.

* * *

In the Police Superintendent office...

"This is Touyama." the elder Touyama took the call.

"It's me." the Head of Police stated. "Diet member, Tagushi-san is pressuring us to immediately throw Mimasaka to the public prosecutor. It's not just regarding the case of his daughter. He's worried the press will lurk around the accident from one year ago. It involves the police's dignity! Touyama-kun, you understand, right?"

"Yes, I understand." the elder Touyama replied.

* * *

In the juice bar...

"Hey, hurry up." Megu dragged Kinta back to the Mission Room.

"But you know..." Kinta protested.

"Will you shape up, Kinta?" Megu chided.

"But even if you say that..." Kinta complained.

"Sit down for a bit." Megu pulled Kinta to a revolving chair at the counter. "Hey Kinta." she started. "You've always protected us from behind, right? We think you're a good older brother."

"What are you saying, so suddenly..." Kinta muttered.

"But you know..." Megu continued. "You may be our older brother, but you're our friend too. We're friends who share our joy and pain. That's why, sometimes, you should rely on us, too."

"Welcome back, Kinta, Megu." Kyu greeted the pair as they entered the Mission Room.

"We're back!" Megu declared. Glaring at the hesitant Kinta, she came him a push forward.

"Kyu, Ami, Kazuma." Kinta looked at the younger teens. "Please help me out." he requested. "I need your abilities."

"We've been waiting." Kyu chuckled.

"Really, what is it with the male species and their damn prides?" Ami smirked jokingly.

"I was getting tired of waiting." Kazuma added.

"Eh?" Kinta blinked.

"We know the general situation from Megu's email." Ami supplied.

"Let's find the real culprit together." Kyu declared.

"I think I may have planned too far." Megu stated. "At least you don't have to explain, right?"

"Ya think?" Ami gave her an amused smirk.

"I give up." Kinta chuckled.

"By the way, was there any contact from Ryu?" Megu asked.

"None." Ami shook her head. "I've tried emailing him on his cellphone, but there's no answer."

* * *

By the docks...

Ryu slapped the door of the car shut, having finished his conversation with his grandfather.

"Did you finish your conversation?" Yurie inquired as Ryu stepped into the warehouse.

"Yeah." Ryu replied. "I've declared to grandfather, 'I'm going down my own path. This time not as Pluto's successor, so I don't care if you think of me as your enemy.'"

Cerberus stopped him in his tracks, presenting the tap-wire he retrieved. "A wire-tap that Nanami-kun attached to your bag." he stated.

"Ryu-sama." Yurie started. "Do you really think that you have a place to go back to?"

"I will not get help from anyone." Ryu declared. "I'll fight Pluto by myself. So don't lay a hand on the members of Q Class, especially _her_." he warned and walked off.

* * *

At Haruka's place...

"While researching if the victim, Tagushi Ryouko, and her father were involved in any kind of trouble, I found this case." Haruka gave Kinta the newspaper clipping.

"Secretary of Diet Member, hit-and-run?" Kinta echoed.

"It happened exactly one year ago." Haruka added. "But the problem is with the car that the secretary was riding in. The ownership was under Tagushi Ryouko."

"Seriously?" Kinta echoed.

"Most of the press are saying that maybe the Diet Member used his secretary as a substitute to protect his daughter who caused the crime."

"Then, you mean there's a possibility that the police is trying to hide something?" Ami reasoned.

"I see." Kinta realized. "So that's how it is. Now that we know that, we should be able to solve this case."

"But if that's so, won't your father's position be jeopardized?" Kyu pointed out. "Because when you tried to find and reveal the truth, the police tried to stop you, right?"

"I don't care about my father." Kinta replied.

"But you know..." Kyu started.

"Because of the police dignity that he's trying to protect, one person's life is being taken by him." Kinta retorted. "That's something that can't be forgiven."

"I'll try to find some girls who can prove Ryuusuke's alibi." Haruka offered. "When I told them that you needed help, that many came." she nodded over to the people gathered.

"You guys..." Kinta broke into a smile.

* * *

In the police station's carpark...

"Nekoda-san!" Megu sang, appearing behind the flustered detective in a policewoman's uniform.

"Megu-tan!" Nekoda ran over. "What's with that uniform?"

"Ah, that expression says you like it." Megu declared.

"Yes." Nekoda agreed. "Um, can you let me take one picture?"

"But before that," Megu raised a hand to stop his advance. "I have a favor to ask."

"Favor?" Nekoda echoed.

"The theatrical company Akibagumi's..." Megu whispered.

"Ah!" Nekoda exclaimed, realizing what Megu wanted. "No, no, no can do! Anything regarding Tagushi Ryouko's murder has been stopped by the higher authorities. It was difficult when Moroboshi-san drowned his cares by drinking."

"You can take a picture of any pose you want." Megu offered.

"Any pose I want?" Nekoda was tempted. "Well if that's... ah, wait, wait." he stopped himself. "The orders from above are absolute. That's not right. Right now, I'm thinking up with different poses. No, no, I can't do this!"

* * *

In the theatrical company...

"Here you go." Nekoda presented the data to the teens. "You need these, right? Investigative materials?"

"I assume you have something to do with this?" Ami quirked a knowing brow at Megu.

"Will you be okay taking something this important?" Kyu wondered.

"The truth is, I've always thought that this case is suspicious." Nekoda replied. "Even if this career bureaucrat gets fired, even if this perfect career bureaucrat gets fired, I will show my justice!" he declared. "Okay, let's go." he told the youngsters.

* * *

In the dressing room...

"This is the crime scene." Nekoda led them into the dressing room.

"She died here." Megu noted the chalk mark outline.

"Kinta," Kyu started. "The ones who found Tagushi Ryouko's body were..."

"The assistant director, Okajima Yayoi and Nishizawa Maki from production." Kinta replied. "After finding the body, Nishizawa Maki collapsed there and Okajima Yayoi went back to call the cast and staff."

"Nekoda-san." Ami started, turning to the broken window. "What happened to this window?"

"This was already broken when the body was found." Nekoda replied. "The culprit probably entered through here."

"Hey, Megu." Kyu knelt by the glass shards.

"Yeah?" Megu blinked.

"Look at the way these pieces fell." Kyu remarked.

"This is weird." Megu agreed.

"Eh?" Nekoda blinked. "What is?"

"If the culprit tried to enter from outside by breaking the glass, then the window was probably closed." Ami surmised. "So the pieces should've fallen right beneath it."

"But the glass pieces didn't fall right beneath the window, but a bit far from it, and some even near the dresser." Kyu continued. "In short, while opening the window this way," he demonstrated. "Someone in this room broke the glass this way."

"But for what reason?" Nekoda wondered.

"In order to make it seem like the culprit came from outside." Ami replied.

"Then, you're saying that the culprit was someone in the theater?" Kinta inquired.

"Most likely." Kyu nodded.

"But everyone has testified that all the cast and staff were on stage." Nekoda pointed out. "That's why for one of them to kill Tagushi Ryouko is impossible."

"Hey, in this script." Kyu flipped open the script on the table. "In the middle of the play, it says 'is removing the mantle,' but it's been erased with a pen."

"The director probably changed it." Megu surmised. "They say that the lines and movements change during rehearsal."

"Blood on her fingers?" Kyu flipped open the police's photographs. "I see." he pieced all the pieces together once he saw something within the room. "So that's how it is. I know who did it."

"Eh?" the other four blinked.

"It's an alibi trick." Kyu explained.

"Alibi trick?" Nekoda echoed.

"When Tagushi-san was found, she wasn't dead yet." Kyu replied. "She was killed after that."

"After that?" Kinta echoed.

"But when Okajima-san and Nishizawa-san came to get her, she was already lying on the ground, covered with blood, right?" Megu pointed out.

"Even if her back was smeared with blood, it doesn't necessarily mean she was dead." Ami voiced. "When they found Tagushi-san, she was still alive."

"Eh?" the three gasped in confusion.

"Look at this picture." Kyu showed the others the photo. "Around her index finger, there's a wound and some blood, as if she was pricked by a needle."

"From that wound, maybe there was something like nicotine." Ami added. "Even a small amount will knock people out, a quick acting poison. And because of that anesthetic, Tagushi-san collapsed and went into a full-body paralysis."

"Eh, wait a minute." Nekoda cut in. "Then, what about the blood they saw?"

"A huge amount of blood was smeared on the back of the blouse of Tagushi-san in advance." Kyu replied. "In order to make it look like she was stabbed, like a camouflage."

"But, with that kind of stain on her back, everyone will immediately..." Megu pointed out. "Ah!" she blinked."

"Right." Kyu nodded. "They couldn't have seen it."

"Because Tagushi-san has always been wearing her coat in accordance to the changes in the script." Ami finished.

"But what about the poison?" Kinta wondered.

"In this picture, Tagushi-san collapsed while holding her coat, right?" Kyu affirmed.

"That means, she was trying to hang her coat?" Kinta wondered.

Kyu nodded and continued. "In this picture, and inside this room, there's something missing."

"Something missing?" Megu echoed. "The hanger which Tagushi-san was supposed to use to hang her coat." she realized.

"Most likely, the culprit placed poison on that hanger." Kyu surmised. "Because of the poison on the hanger, the instant Tagushi-san released her grasp, she immediately collapsed there. If the police came immediately, then there's a high chance the culprit hasn't gotten rid of the hanger and that it's hidden somewhere in this theater."

"Nekoda-san." Ami voiced.

"Yes?" Nekoda asked.

"Please have the victim's blood checked one more time." Ami requested.

"I got it." Nekoda nodded. "Ah wait. Before that, tell me who did it."

"There's only one person who could have stabbed the victim." Ami replied.

"Ami, could it be?" Megu realized her implication.

"I can't think of anyone else but _that person_." Ami concluded.

"Hello?" Kinta took the call.

* * *

On the streets...

"Kinta, I've found the girls Ryuusuke talked to." Haruka informed. "The time matched with the time of the crime."

* * *

In the dressing room...

"Thank you, Haruka." Kinta replied. "Wait, I have another call. Hello?"

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Regarding the hit-and-run case one year ago, the victim had a sibling." Kazuma reported. "I didn't notice because five years ago, their mother divorced and changed her last name."

* * *

In the dressing room...

"What do you mean?" Kinta asked.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"The truth is..." Kazuma replied. "The name of that sibling is..."

* * *

In the dressing room...

"Eh?" Kinta gasped when Kazuma finished his sentence. "Are you serious?"

* * *

In the theatrical company...

"Um everyone." Nekoda greeted the cast and staff. "We have the suspect in custody and we've finished the on-site inspection. Today, we've finished securing the crime scene. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Excuse me."

"Alright, then let's dismiss, too." the director told the group. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Thank you for your hard work." the group returned.

* * *

That night...

"What are you doing there?" Kinta asked, entering the props room when the culprit returned to retrieve the hanger. "Kyu!" he barked when the culprit fled.

Taking his cue, Kyu turned on the headlights, forcing Maki to stop in her track on the stage.

"You guys..." Maki gasped, finding herself cornered by the Q Class members, Nekoda appearing in the audience seats.

"You're the real culprit after all." Kyu concluded. "Nishizawa Maki-san. You put poison on the hanger and place Tagushi-san into a coma. Then, you killed her."

"You made Okajima-san, who went into the room with you, think that Tagushi-san is dead." Ami continued. "The moment she left the room, and when you were left alone, you took the chance to take the knife you hid and stabbed Tagushi-san in the heart."

"You can't talk your way out of this." Kazuma declared.

"Why did you kill her?" Kinta asked. "This is related to your sister and the hit-and-run case, right?"

"One year ago, my sister went to Tokyo for make her dream of becoming a beauty stylist come true." Maki started. "But that woman stole my sister's life in a blink of an eye."

"Then the one who caused the hit-and-run accident was..." Kinta prodded.

"Tagushi Ryouko." Maki finished his sentence.

"When did you realize that?" Ami inquired.

"Just right after I joined this theatrical company." Maki replied.

_

* * *

Flashback_

"_Give me a break already." Ryouko whined._

"_Is it alright, if I reveal that you're the true culprit in the hit-and-run case?" Ryuusuke asked, the pair not noticing Maki eavesdropping outside the door._

"_Even if you do that, it's hopeless." Ryouko shrugged. "Papa's friend will deal with it, after all."_

"_The Diet Member's secretary won't be able to rest in peace after being a scapegoat for a woman like this." Ryuusuke remarked._

* * *

"The one who caused that car accident one year ago was Tagushi Ryouko." Maki continued. "And her father used the police and placed the blame on the secretary. During that time, I decided. I'll get revenge."

"Then..." Kinta started. "Why didn't you tell the police immediately when you found out the truth?"

"The police betrayed us once already." Maki snapped. "And you want me to believe in them?"

"But still, you didn't have to push the crime onto Ryuusuke." Kinta protested.

"He's just as guilty for covering up for her while knowing the truth." Maki retorted. "If the police won't judge them, then I will have to!"

"Nishizawa-san." Megu started. "No matter how painful the circumstances were, killing Tagushi-san isn't acceptable. And pushing the murder onto Mimasaka-san, is no different from what Tagushi-san did. Mimasaka-san could be spending his whole life in prison for a crime he didn't do."

"Nishizawa-san." Ami continued. "You know, Mimasaka-san is being held back by his one and only sister's wedding. His sister's wedding might be ruined because of him. He might be stealing his sister's happiness. Mimasaka-san is thinking that way, scared, in a prison cell. You know your sister's sadness when her dream was stolen and when she died full of regrets. I'm sure you understand those feelings. I'm sure you understand, Nishizawa-san."

* * *

In the police station...

"Kinta-san." the newly freed Ryuusuke greeted his formed leader. "Thank you very much!"

"You don't understand just how heavy death is." Kinta growled, leveling a punch across Ryuusuke's cheek. "Ryuusuke, you can still be punched and spoken ill of. But you know, the victim of the hit-and-run can't do anything anymore. Just like your sister, she had an important dream. She can't run after that dream anymore. Tell them everything you know. That's your atonement."

Ryuusuke nodded and sobbed.

* * *

In the corridor...

"The press is in an uproar after learning of the scandal." the elder Touyama informed his son. "And I've warned you that much not to do anything unnecessary. Why do you do such unnecessary things?"

"If my father from the past had heard what Ryuusuke has to say, I'm sure he would've done the same thing." Kinta replied. "If it was my father from the past."

"I will take responsibility in revealing the truth of last year's hit-and-run case." the elder Touyama started as the teens walked off and stopping them in their tracks. "Do well, so you will not stain Dan-sensei's reputation." he turned to face his son. With that, he walked off to face the press as Q Class looked down from the second storey.

* * *

In Dan-sensei's office..

"Amakusa's connected to Pluto, after all." Nanami-sensei concluded, showing Dan-sensei the photo he took. "Sensei, I want to believe in Amakusa too. But... but if something happens to Q Class' members..."

"There's no need to worry." Ryu cut in.

"Amakusa..." Nanami-sensei blinked at the teen.

"What do you mean by this, Amakusa-kun?" Dan-sensei inquired, seeing the Detective Academy notebook on the table.

"Everything Nanami-sensei said is right." Ryu replied. "Evil blood is flowing through my veins. Pluto's leader, King Hades' blood."

"Is he doing alright?" Dan-sensei asked.

"Eh?" Ryu blinked.

* * *

In front of the temple where the group usually visited...

"But Kinta." Kyu remarked, the group having finished their prayers. "Isn't it great that you're now getting along with your father?"

"If I feel like it, I might ask him to go for a drink." Kinta replied.

"I'm jealous of you." Kyu commented.

"Eh?" Kinta blinked.

"Well, I don't have anyone like that." Kyu elaborated.

"Has your father passed away?" Kinta inquired.

"I don't know, but my mother won't say anything whenever that comes up." Kyu replied. "Sorry for saying weird things." he smiled. "What are you doing?" he looked over at the other two in front.

_You have no idea how close to the truth you are, Kinta._ Ami mused.

"That's pathetic." Kyu joked.

"Alright!" Kinta caught up with the younger teens. "You guys helped me out this time, so dinner's on me."

"Really?" Kyu blinked as Megu clapped in agreement.

"Are you going?" Kinta asked the silent girl behind the group. "Chanponmen is good."

"Children." Ami shook her head in amusement and caught up.

* * *

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.


	8. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Eight

SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 7 goes up. This is Chapter 8 and no review. No one is reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope' and her current muse): Great, now you non-reviewing readers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Armor-Digivolves into Nefertimon and fires a barrage 'Nile Jewelry' at the non-reviewing readers)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 8: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Eight

* * *

The next day...

Cerberus boarded a bus. "This is the murder plan the we have constructed." he handed the file to his new client. "With this, the contract is established. There's no need to worry. Now, your dream will come true."

* * *

That night...

A maid waitress was cycling home from her part-time job when her front wheel hit a rock on the road, causing her backpack to drop. Getting off her bike, she retrieved her bag, only to scream when a masked person charged at her with a pair of scissors. Too frightened to move, she could only shriek with her attacker cut off a lock of her hair.

* * *

The next day...

Ryu made his way to the building and stopped before the but Dan-sensei had told him before.

_

* * *

_

Flashback

"_Nanami-sensei is right." Ryu replied. "Evil blood is flowing through my veins. Pluto's leader, King Hades' blood."_

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"It's been a week already." Kinta remarked. "What is Ryu doing?"

"He couldn't be on summer vacation, right?" Kazuma surmised.

"Ryu!" Kyu blinked as the last member of Q Class entered.

"Yo." Kinta greeted the solitude teen. "Sheesh, making us worry like that. Where were you?"

"Besides, we couldn't reach your cellphone." Megu added.

"But isn't it great?" Kyu cut it, noticing Ryu's tightening grasp on his Detective Academy notebook. "Ryu came back after all."

"True." Kinta agreed. "Now the six of us can deal with the cases."

"I was worried." Kazuma added. "Without, Ryu, Ami and I are the only quick-witted ones left."

"And let the bloodbath begin." Ami grinned mischievously. "You've decided, then." she turned a knowing look at Ryu. "I can tell." she smiled at his confused expression.

"Alright." Nanami-sensei entered, speaking in a squeak. "Everyone's here. I have a new order for you guys." Kyu and Kinta looked at each other and the rest burst out laughing.

"Amakusa, you can laugh too." Nanami-sensei took out the 'Helium Gas, Voice Change' cylinder.

"Okay." Ryu muttered.

"Nanami-sensei, some day, somehow, all of us Guardians are really going to give into the temptation to stab you repeatedly with our weapons." Ami smirked. "You have three seconds to revert back to normal before I call the first shot. 3!"

"Ah... ah..." Nanami-sensei returned to his normal voice, knowing that the Ice Guardian only make promises, _never_ threats. "Then let's get straight to the problem."

"Idiot." Ami muttered.

"Members of Q Class." Dan-sensei came on screen, the group standing at attention. "How do you do? This time, I'd like you to investigate a case that was sent to the academy a few days ago. This is regarding an anonymous sealed envelope. Inside, there were 9 pictures." the 9 photos of the maid waitresses were flashed on the scene. "All of them were recently attacked in Akihabara and victims of maid hunting."

"Maid hunting?" Kyu echoed.

"Why did the sender tell us about the existence of this case?" Dan-sensei added. "What is the sender trying to say? I have a bad feeling about this. And so, find the culprit in this maid hunting, the meaning behind the envelope, and its sender and expose the truth behind these serial cases. I pray for your success."

"This the envelope." Nanami-sensei presented the envelope to the team.

"Um... could it be..." Kazuma voiced. "Dan-sensei's bad feeling..."

"Pluto?" Ami finished the sentence.

"Most likely." Nanami-sensei replied. "It's certain that their actions are increasing."

"Well, that would explain why Celia-nee-chan's recent premonitions are getting clearer." Ami mused.

"It means we're finally entering the real battle, huh?" Kinta remarked. "Alright."

"Wait a minute." Ryu cut in. "There's something I have to tell everyone."

"Ryu, w..." Kyu protested.

"You sure?" Ami asked.

"I have..." Ryu continued. "Evil blood flowing through my veins. My grandfather is the man who established Pluto, King Hades. I'm the only person who has his evil blood. I'm the legitimate successor of Pluto."

"Eh?" Kinta gasped.

"What do you mean by that?" Megu wondered.

"Ever since I was young, without being told anything about and as the successor of Pluto, I received special education from my grandfather." Ryu continued. "But eventually, I realized the dreadful truth being Pluto. That's why I entered the Detective Academy. I wanted to gain the power to stop their crimes."

"Ryu is..." Kazuma gaped. "Pluto's successor..."

"Is that true, Ryu?" Kinta asked.

"Yeah." Ryu replied.

"Kyu, Ami, was is what you two were hiding?" Megu asked.

"Does Dan-sensei know?" Kazuma asked.

"He does." Nanami-sensei replied. "It was proven just recently."

"That's why I dropped out of school." Ryu explained. "But Dan-sensei didn't accept it." he placed his Detective Academy notebook on the table.

"Ryu.." Kyu started, the silent teen proceeding the exit the room. "Hey, wait, Ryu!"

"Kyu, Ami." Kinta started, Kyu not able to prevent Ryu from leaving. "Did you know? Since when?"

"When Dan-sensei told us about Pluto, it was just a little after." Kyu replied.

"It was around that time when he didn't come here anymore." Kinta noted. "And Ami?" he looked over the the Ice Guardian.

"During the junior high school students missing case." Ami answered. "Ryu and I, discovered each other's identities. It was a silent agreement between us, not to reveal anything to the rest of you until you all ready."

"What the heck is that?" Kazuma voiced. "Why did you keep quiet about something that important, Kyu, Ami? And of all things, for him to be part of Pluto."

"Ryu isn't part of Pluto!" Ami snapped.

"He's part of Q Class and a friend, right?" Kyu agreed.

"A friend, you say?" Kinta echoed. "He wants to quit the Detective Academy, right?"

"Anyway," Megu cut in. "Right now we have to investigate the maid hunting. Isn't that right, Nanami-sensei?"

"Yeah." Nanami-sensei nodded in agreement.

"Let's go." Ami declared, leading her team out.

"Sensei." Kyu voiced once everyone else exited. "Dan-sensei didn't let Ryu drop out, right?"

"That's right." Nanami-sensei nodded.

"I'm a little relieved." Kyu let out a small smile and followed the group.

* * *

In a maid's cafe...

"Thanks for waiting." a waitress presented Nekoda's order.

"Yes, thank you..." Nekoda gushed. "Uwaa.. maid hunting eh? Eh?" he blinked. "Maid hunting?" he exclaimed.

"So, you know about it after all." Ami noted.

"I don't just know," Nekoda added. "Because it's a big news amongst the 'masters'. Ah, an I'm not part of those 'masters'. This is also my first time in a Maid Cafe, right?"

"Right..." Ami muttered in sarcasm.

"Well anyway," Nekoda continued. "It's a phantom killer who only attacks popular maids. They're attacked on their way home from their part-time job. What are the pother police officers, aside me, doing?"

"Megu, you should be careful, too." Kinta advised.

"No, Megu-chan is..." Nekoda corrected. "I mean Minami-san will okay.

"I'm popular, you know." Megu reminded.

"Ah, I know." Nekoda flustered. "That's not what I meant. All the victims participated in the Maid's Contest last month."

"This one?" Kazuma showed the detective the polling website.

"Yeah, yeah." Nekoda nodded. "Um it started with the 1st victim, Reika-chan and the 9 is Honoka-chan, who was just attacked recently. And the only one hasn't been attacked is this contest's winner, Tsugumi-chan."

"Then," Megu started. "The next one who'll be attacked is Tsugumi-san?"

"Tsugumi will never be attacked." Reika cut in.

"Reika-san?" Megu blinked.

"How can you be so sure?" Kinta inquired.

"This is from my personal experience" Reika replied. "And what the other victims are saying too." she grasped her bandaged arm. "Although the culprit was wearing a disguise and hiding their face, the build is around our size."

"Meaning the culprit is a female?" Kinta surmised.

"Yeah," Reika nodded. "So it has to be Tsugumi. There's been no incidents since Honoka was attacked." she voiced, seeing the group's disbelieving looks. "Isn't that weird, Tsugumi who hasn't been attacked yet. Of course, she's the culprit!"

"One thing I don't get," Ami voiced, once Reika was out of earshot. "Is why would Tsugumi-san attack the other maids. Why hunt the others? I mean, she won that contest right? It makes no sense."

* * *

On the streets...

"Tsugumi-san, right?" Megu inquired, the group approached the maid-costumed girl who was standing away from the area where she was designated to perform. "We'd like to ask some questions regarding the maid-hunting."

"I'm not!" Tsugumi retorted. "I was asked awhile ago, too. I'm not the culprit!"

"Awhile ago?" Megu echoed as Tsugumi walked off.

"She's being quite careful." Kazuma noted.

"It can't be helped." Kinta remarked. "There're some fans over there. Let's ask them, okay?"

"Yeah." the rest nodded in agreement.

Just then, Ami turned her head around, sensing someone was watching them from the bushes.

"Ami." Megu voiced.

"Sorry." Ami replied. "Go ahead first."

"Alright." Megu nodded and followed the boys.

"You can come out now. " Ami stated once Megu was out of earshot and Ryu appeared.

* * *

In front of the platform...

"Ah..." one of Tsugumi's fans whined. "Is today's live cancelled too?"

"Is it?" another fan echoed.

"At any rate, she's so cute. Tsugumin..." the first fan gushed.

"It's popular." his companion agreed. "'Love is Much Peach Shake'. Much Peach, Much Peach, yeah!" he started cheering. "I'm so much peachy in love with you!" the row of fans started to dance. "It's a dream!" the rest of the fans crowded in. "As expected from someone world-class! It's a dream!"

"Who should we ask?" Kazuma wondered.

"It doesn't matter who it is." Kinta replied.

"Huh?" Asano blinked at the newcomers. "I have never seen you guys here."

"Is Tsugumi the culprit of the maid-hunting incident?" the gathered fans echoed in disbelief once Kyu and ther others told them the reason for their visit. "The rumor was probably started by someone jealous." Asano insisted. "Rather, she might be the one who'll be attacked next. That's why we're going to protect her."

"Protect?" Kinta echoed.

"I'm the president of Tsugumi's official fan club." Asano replied. "As as result of our discussion even if I have a house, we're decided to protect her, even during her private time. It's wasted on me, but because of that I'm staying in a room right above Tsugumi's room."

"Eh?" the four detectives gasped.

"Ah no." Asano defended himself. "Us fans are managers the protect our idol's private life. Ah, soldiers? As managers. Right"

"Yeah." one of the club members agreed.

* * *

On the staircase...

"Wait!" Ami took off after the Lone Wolf. "Why are you running away?"

"Running away?" Ryu stopped on top of a flight of steps.

"Or have you forgotten, that little girl, from 7 years ago?" Ami reminded.

"7 years ago.." Ryu recalled his memories. "That can't be..."

"Yes." Ami confirmed. "That little girl, is me."

Not wanting to confront _that_ part of his past right now, Ryu headed upwards.

"I still have that ring!" Ami called, stopping him in his tracks. "But if that's your decision, guess it can't be helped then." she whispered and returned to the group.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"I wonder if Tsugumi-san's really the culprit?" Kazuma wondered, the group reviewing the case.

"No," Kinta voiced "My instincts say Reika is suspicious. Kyu." he looked over that the quiet teen. "What do you think?"

"Hey," Kyu started "Aren't you guys worried about Ryu?"

"Ami, where were you?" Megu asked when their team leader entered the room. "You suddenly disappeared."

"I met Ryu just now." Ami admitted. "He was investigating the maid hunting incident."

"Let's go and pick Ryu up." Kyu suggested. "You, Kinta and Megu fell the same way, right?"

"Well, even if Ryu doesn't investigate, he knows, right?" Kazuma reminded. "Pluto's movements."

"I want to believe in Ryu." Kyu insisted. "That's why I'd like everyone to believe in Ryu too. Because you know, Ryu wanted to fight Pluto right from the very beginning."

"If you knew that, then why did you keep quiet about it?" Kinta asked.

"Kyu, you're always saying that we're friends." Megu reminded. "And yet, you yourself hid things from your friends."

"Even if you want to pick him up, Ryu was the one who left, right?" Kinta pointed out. "That's his answer. I'll go talk to Tsugumi."

"Ah, I'll go too." Kazuma followed Kinta out.

"Get a hold of yourself." Megu encouraged.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"You need to get a hold of yourself." Megu chided. "Alright, let's go." Kyu and Ami nodded in agreement and took off.

* * *

In Dan-sensei 's office...

"Amakusa left this." Nanami-sensei presented the abandoned notebook. "Is it really for the better if Amakusa returned?"

"It's alright." Dan-sensei assured. "Believing in their friends no matter what happens. I'm sure they can do that."

"Imouto-chan has already opened her heart to him." Angel added. "Now, all we can do is wait for his answer."

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Is that so?" Cerberus chuckled when his client informed him. "All the preparations are finished, huh? Now, please execute the plan. Best of luck."

"What are you thinking?" Yurie inquired. "Sending that envelope to the Detective Academy. That's breaking the rules."

"Everything is for the sake of Ryu-sama." Cerberus defended. "In order for him to come back, without regrets, as Pluto's successor."

"You don't get it." Yurie said.

* * *

In front of Tsugumi's door...

"She's not at home?" Kazuma wondered when no one answered the door.

"It's open." Kinta blinked, finding the door unlocked and ht group cautiously entered the room.

Trailing their flashlights through the room, the group found Tsugumi's body, and met with another light to their faces.

"Ryu." Ami blinked when Ryu's face came into view and Kazuma flipped on the lights.

"She's dead." Ryu confirmed, the group turning off their flashlights.

"Maid hunting?" Kazuma echoed.

"A suicide note was left." Ryu showed the letter to the group.

"A suicide?" Megu blinked.

"No, this is..." Ami corrected, looking closely at the rope mark.

"Ryu." Kinta started. "What are you doing here? What are you doing?"

* * *

Later...

"Look," Moroboshi looked at the ceiling. "There's a latch on the roof. A rope that's around her neck. A tipped-over chair do you know what that means?"

"Please give me one night." Nekoda replied.

"Then, it's your homework." Moroboshi remarked. "IDIOT!" he hollered. "It's suicide by hanging!"

"I see!" Nekoda noted.

* * *

Outside...

"Ryu," Kinta started. "Weren't you quitting Q Class?"

"I have to stop all the cases that Pluto's involved." Ryu replied.

"Ryu, let's investigate together." Kyu called as the silent teen walked off.

"I'm fine by myself." Ryu assured. "I won't get help from anyone." with that, he exited.

* * *

In the room above Tsugumi's room...

"This is..." the three gathered fans squealed, seeing their idol through the security camera. "We didn't see... we didn't see."

"Okay, okay!" Asano called, answering the door.

"We're from the police." Moroboshi started, Nekoda revealing his police badge. "Are you Asano Takurou-san?"

"Eh?" Asano blinked. "Yes."

"You know Setouchi Tsugumi-san who lives on the lower floor, right?" Nekoda inquired.

"Yeah." Asano nodded.

"Tsugumi-san just passed away." Nekoda supplied.

"Eh?" Asano gasped.

"When Tsugumi-san died at around 7 pm tonight, did you hear anything, like a struggle or something from her room downstairs?" Moroboshi asked.

"President." one o the fans shook Asano. "You were doing laundry at the veranda, right? Did you hear anything then?"

Asano shook his head.

"Did you see anyone suspicious in the apartment?" Nekoda asked.

"No." the second fan replied. "We've been playing a game in this room.

"We didn't leave the room, not even for a single millimeter." the first fan replied. "We were together the whole time."

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Ah, ah..." Kazuma sighed, taking a look at Tsugumi's blog. "Tsugumi-san is being completely hated. She confessed that she's the culprit on her own blog before committing suicide. Look, she's being completely beaten up." he nodded at the resulting hate messages. "What a huge commotion."

"Did she really commit suicide?" Ami voiced. "The rope mark on her neck was horizontal."

"Horizontal?" Kinta echoed.

"It's true." Kyu agreed.

"If she really died by hanging herself," Kyu added, taking the photo. "The rope is directed to the floor because of the body's weight, so the mark should've been diagonal towards the ceiling."

"Then, does this mean..." Kinta trailed. "It's a murder that was made to look like a suicide? In short, the culprit put the blame of the maid hunting on Tsugumi. Then, the most suspicious one is Reika, huh? I'm going out."

"I'll investigate about Reika." Kazuma followed Kinta out.

"Yeah." Ami nodded.

"What's wrong, Kyu?" Ami asked, the teen looking closely at the photo.

"There's something I'm curious about." Kyu stated.

* * *

In Tsugumi's room...

The three teens had returned to the crime scene under Moroboshi and Nekoda's escort.

"What is this?" Kyu knelt by the solidified chocolate stain.

"Hm ah, that's chocolate." Nekoda replied.

"Chocolate?" Kyu echoed.

"Chocolate that melted from her pocket which left a stain." Moroboshi added.

"It's the same as this one." Nekoda showed him an unwrapped chocolate piece. "Of course it'll melt if it's in your pocket in the middle of summer."

"Ah." Megu whined, seeing the mess in the veranda. "They tipped over."

"How come it's only that part?" Kyu wondered.

"Maybe she hit it when she was carrying the laundry." Ami suggested.

"I do that sometimes too." Megu added.

"Laundry?" Kyu echoed, the wheels in his head turning.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Reika, the maid?" Haruka echoed when Kinta came to her. "Of course I know."

"As expected." Kinta noted.

"But Kinta, if you want to pick her up, I won't recommend her." Haruka joked.

"Stupid, she's a suspect in this current incident." Kinta chided.

"Regarding the maid hunting, huh?" Haruka mused. "At first, everyone has suspicions that she was 'acting a charade'."

"What do you mean?" Kinta asked.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Here's Reika's blog." Kazuma accessed the blog. "Whoa, looks like a bunch of lies. Of course, she'll be suspicious of acting a charade."

"Meaning, she attacked the other maids to make it look like her was true." Kinta surmised. "What a motive." he shook his head at Kazuma's confirmation.

"What about her alibi?" Kazuma asked.

"Yeah." Kinta nodded. "Among the victims of the maid hunting, Reika's the only one who wasn't able to answer the police during interrogation."

"No doubt about it." Kazuma concluded.

"All we need is some evidence." Kinta noted.

"I have that already." Kazuma replied. "Take a look." he pulled out a MS-DOS window. "Right after the crimes, someone always accesses the site from a certain manga cafe."

"If there's a connection between that manga cafe and Reika..." Kinta trailed. "Then it's certain!"

* * *

At a storage cabinet...

Reika was reaching up into her rented locker to put her bag when she dropped the over-sized paper bag and her manga cafe card fell to the ground, and Kinta picked it up.

"What is it?" Reika asked.

* * *

In the manga cafe's billiards room...

"We've investigated you." Kinta informed.

"Seems that, you're a regular member of this manga cafe, huh?" Kazuma showed her the member card she dropped.

"And so?" Reika snatched the card away.

"Who are you attacking next?" Kinta pressed. "Or is the plan finished after killing Tsugumi-san?"

"Tsugumi committed suicide, right?" Reika reminded.

"After losing the contest, you wanted to earn sympathy votes so you can win next." Kinta concluded. "So you thought of this phantom killer incident. But your intention was seen and your blog was filed with accusations. You attacked the other maids to camouflage yourself as one of the victims. And you placed all the blame on Tsugumi, who won the contest."

"No, I didn't kill her" Reika protested.

"You didn't _kill_ her." Kinta echoed.

"It's true that I was behind the maid hunting, but I didn't kill Tsugumi." Reika insisted.

"But you're the only one without an alibi." Kazuma pointed out.

"I have an alibi." Reika corrected. "I was at the usual manga cafe on the night of the murder. If you ask the cafe's personnel, they'll testify."

"Then, why won't you able to give your alibi to the police during investigation?" Kinta asked.

"For a popular maid in Akihabara to live in a manga cafe, I didn't want anyone to know." Reika replied.

* * *

On the streets...

Ryu had taken one of Tsugumi's vandalized posters and was sitting on the sidewalk.

"It's pitiful, isn't it?" Ami voiced.

"Not just one the net." Megu added, she, Ami and Kyu approached the silent teen. "But here too, bad things are written about her."

"Human beings are cruel." Ryu started. "When you're betrayed by someone you trusted, that disappointment becomes malice in a blink of an eye. Without knowing that, their trust might've been delusion."

"It's not delusion." Megu retorted. "From the bottom of my heart, I think that you're an important friend."

"Reika isn't the one who killed Tsugumi." Kazuma reported as he and Kinta joined the group.

"I see." Ami nodded. "Great job, you two."

"You can find out that much without investigating." Ryu stated.

"Has I always been like that?" Kinta reminded. "Knowing the mystery of the crimes in advance and just watching thing unfold from above, that's like Pluto itself."

"No," Kyu cut in. "Ryu's a fine detective like us. So believe in him."

"I know." Kinta replied. "I know that much. I want to believe in him too. No matter how much we treat Ryu as our friend, it won't matter if he doesn't think so. Ryu," he looked at the Lone Wolf. "Let's clear things up, who are you? And what do you want to do?"

"I'm Pluto's successor." Ryu replied.

"That's not what I want to know!" Kinta snapped. "What in the world are you?"

"A friend." Ami answered. "And to me, perhaps something more." she smiled.

"We're all friends." Kyu agreed. "That's why when I found out about Ryu's secret, I should've asked for he and we could've discussed it. I was wrong. I'm sorry." he bowed in apology."

"Geez, guys are so tactless." Megu muttered when Ryu took off.

"Men, they're all the same." Ami sighed. "Going through so many complicated rituals just to hide that fact that they have emotions. Ryu didn't want to cause trouble to anyone."

"Let's understand that much." Megu agreed.

"This may be Pluto's objective." Ami realized. "That's right. To break us apart and isolate Ryu, so we'll be shaken up. We can't lose. We can't lose here."

"Eh? Someone echoed. "You're heating it up? If you heat it up, won't it melt?"

"It won't melt." his girlfriend chided. "Even if you don't, it's still delicious."

"If you heat it, it'll melt?" Kyu echoed. "I see!" he made the connection. "That's how it is! I know the trick of the culprit! The culprit is that person! Let's go!"

"It was just a little bit more." Cerberus remarked as he watched the group run off. "You're really a hindrance, Ami-chan."

* * *

In Asano's room...

Asano exited the lift, the dirtied electric blanket in hand.

"Were you getting rid of the evidence?" Ryu asked, having stopped Asano in his tracks.

"Evidence?" Asano echoed. "You say weird things. What's up with you people?" he blinked, his path blocked by the rest of Q Class.

"The person who killed Tsugumi-san, you're the one, right?" Kyu accused.

"What are you saying?" Asano asked. "When Tsugumi died, I was playing a game with my friends in my room.

"You went out to the veranda, right?" Ryu added.

"I was just doing the laundry." Asano protested. "Didn't they say that they saw my back the whole time? I couldn't possibly have killed her. What?" he demanded when Kinta ripped the dry-cleaning bag out of his hands.

"An electric blanket when it's this hot?" Kinta glared, tossing the electric blanket to the ground.

"This is..." Asano started.

"Something you used when you killed Tsugumi-san, right?" Kyu finished. "First, you killed Tsugumi-san by killing her as if she hanged herself." he continued. "And then, you covered the body with an electric blanket. Then, you connected it to the extension cord from your room that you've prepared in advance, and turned on the electric blanket. Because if you heat the body up immediately after death, the decrease of the body temperature can be stopped, you can delay the estimated time of death. And then, on the time of your choice, you went to the veranda, pretending to do the laundry. Then, you pulled the blanket from Tsugumi-san's room and hid it in the washing machine. Please look at this stain." he showed Asano the stain. "It's an undeniable proof. There was a chocolate on Tsugumi-san's pocket. And without realizing it, you warmed it up. The chocolate melted and left a stain on the blanket."

"That's a lie!" Asano retorted. "Tsugumin is the culprit of the maid hunting. She regretted that, so she committed suicide."

"Enough of your futile wicked play." Kinta growled, the group closing in. "Everything will be clear if this is investigated."

"You guys are amazing." Asano let out a crazed laugh.

"Why did you do this?" Kyu asked. "You're her fan, right?"

"I wanted everyone to hate Tsugumin." Asano replied. "Tsugumin got cheered on by people other than me. I felt like she was going away and I was scared. If my voice doesn't reach her, then my reason of living is nothing."

"That's why Tsugumi-san got the role of the culprit of the maid hunting?" Ami reasoned.

"It went well." Asano grinned. "And as expected, everyone said bad things about Tsugumin, right? It's fine this way. Now Tsugumin is mine forever!"

"Okay..." Ami blinked in disbelief.

"I don't expect you to understand." Asano remarked. "But that person understood my feelings. Only that person! Because of him, my dream became a reality!"

* * *

Later...

"I'll _never_ be able to understand how a fan-crazed fan's mind works." Ami muttered as Asano was handcuffed.

"The one who issued the murder plan was Pluto, right?" Kazuma surmised.

"They're the ones who sent the envelope of pictures too." Kinta added.

"We were able to solve the case, but we weren't able to prevent it." Megu remarked.

"If Pluto didn't exist, even Asano could've..." Ryu trailed.

"Ryu!" Ami called out, chasing after the teen. "We need your abilities to fight with Pluto. Pluto has nothing to do with this." she added, after Ryu shrugged off her grasp. "We need you! I need you..." she hugged him from behind

Ryu looked at the sobbing girl on his shoulder as she wept, "All these years... you have no idea how much I've regretted not being able to be by your side when you needed me the most."

The policeman-disguised Cerberus appeared in front of a bystander, invoking his hypnosis with his pendent and presented a knife to the mind-controlled man, who then took the blade and headed towards the young couple.

The knife glint caught Ryu's eye and he shifted positions with the girl, taking the attack for her. The hypnotized man then plunged the blade into Ryu's waist.

"Ryu!" Ami exclaimed in horror, catching the injured teen before he hit the ground.

"Ryu!" the rest of the group hurried over.

"Arrest him!" Moroboshi barked.

"Ryu, hang in there!" Kyu was by the injured teen's side immediately.

"Ryu, hang in there!" Ami begged.

"Patrol car!" Moroboshi ordered. "Patrol car!"

"Wait!" Kazuma cut in. "It's faster if we run to the nearest hospital!" he showed the group the map he pulled out.

"I've memorized the route." Megu replied.

"Let's go!" Ami instructed. "Lead us, Megu." she then looked over at the oldest of the group as the rest helped Ryu onto Kinta's back.

"Alright!" Kinta heaved the teen up.

"I'll leave it you you guys!" Moroboshi shouted as the group took off.

* * *

On the streets.

"Ryu..." Ami muttered, lacing her fingers with his.

"Kinta..." Ryu mumbled. "I..."

"It's alright, don't talk!" Kinta snapped, the group passing the temple. "Hey!" he exclaimed when Ryu passed out. "Ryu!"

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Why?" Cerberus muttered, stumbling off as he tried to calm his pulse down and entered his getaway van, when Nanami-sensei leveled a punch at him, causing him to fall out of the vehicle.

"Now I can finally take my time and play with you." Nanami-sensei remarked.

"Spare yourself the trouble." Dan-sensei advised, pointing the end of his walking stick at Cerberus as the other police officers closed in.

"Okay, stand up!" the arresting officer barked.

"Alright." Nanami-sensei commented, taking Cerberus into custody as Yurie watched on from the side. "We're off to a fun interrogation."

* * *

The next day...

Ryu awoke in hospital. Turning, he saw Kyu asleep on a comforter, Kinta and Kazuma sharing a sofa, Megu laid asleep on a spare bed. And Ami... was asleep by his bedside, her fingers _still_ entwined with his.

Reaching out, he brushed his hand over her bangs, when an amused chuckle cut in.

"You'll be okay if you just rest for a bit." Dan-sensei stated.

"Geez, you're so reckless." Nanami-sensei chided amusedly, the two adults having seen the intimate gesture, as Ryu sat up, wincing from his recovering injury. "Be thankful to everyone. "Additionally," he added. "We caught him. Cerberus. He was quite a character."

"Amakusa-kun." Dan-sensei started. "I believe in each of your talents, so as long as you have a heart of justice, it doesn't matter what lineage you are; that's why Mizuno chose to give her heart to you. No one here, including yourself," he added, returning Ryu's notebook to him. "Wanted you to drop out, right?"

* * *

In the corridor...

"I feel like I've understood once again why you've chosen those 6 people." Nanami-sensei remarked, wheeling Dan-sensei off.

"They are more than what I expected." Dan-sensei corrected.

* * *

In Ryu's hospital room...

"Ryu," Kyu started, the rest having awoke.

"Everyone," Ryu looked at the group. "Thank you. I'm..."

"A friend, right?" Kinta finished. "From the very beginning, the six of us have always been friends."

Ami took the notebook on the bed and placed it into Ryu's hand.

"I'm back." Ryu told the group.

"Welcome back." the rest chorused, earning them a bashful smile from Ryu.

"Ah, hey." Kyu started. "This is the first time I've seen Ryu smile."

"It's true." Kazuma agreed

"Ryu, your smile is also quite cute." Megu stated.

"Smile is also?" Kyu echoed. "Also?"

"Hey, are you jealous?" Kinta joked

"I'm not!" Kyu protested.

"You are!" Kinta insisted, causing the group to chuckle.

"Children." Ami was fighting hard to bite back her giggle. Then, she blinked when she felt Ryu's hand over her own, the two reunited childhood lovers sharing a knowing smile.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Yes." Yurie spoke over her cellphone. "Cerberus has... this is the result of him not considering you, Hades-sama, and going berserk. But rest assured, I've already made my move, Hades-sama."

* * *

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.


	9. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Nine

SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 8 goes up. This is Chapter 9 and only one review. No one else is reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope' and her current muse): Great, now you non-reviewing readers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Armor-Digivolves into Nefertimon and fires a barrage 'Rosetta Stones' at the non-reviewing readers)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 9: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Nine

* * *

In the Kantou Special Prison...

Cerberus' chuckle alerted the guard on duty.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Tanaka demanded.

"The truth is, I'm reading right now." Cerberus replied.

"What?" Tanaka blinked You're reading?"

"After I read a book once, everything will be stored in my head, just like a library." Cerberus added. "I want to live. I want to fight till the end. I have to regain the happiness that was stolen from me. That' a passage from a book that I'm reading now."

"And that book's title?" Tanaka pressed.

"The Count of Monte Cristo." Cerberus replied. "It's a story of a man who's locked up in a cave and then escaped on his own. And his plan to take revenge on those who locked him up."

* * *

The next day...

"Ryu is finally coming back today." Kyu remarked.

"He was released from the hospital this morning, so he might be at the Mission Room already." Kazuma surmised.

"Is that so?" Kyu noted. "Hurry, let's go!"

"Hey," Kinta stopped the two. "You two understand, right?"

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"Ryu might still be worried about the fact that he's the grandson of King Hades." Kinta explained. "Try to act normal."

"Yeah." Kyu and Kazuma gave the older teen a thumbs-up.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

Megu looked on amused as Ami fed her newly-released-from-hospital partner a cherry.

"Hey, hey." Kinta chided, the three newcomers' mouths were agape at the intimate scene on the sofa. "Since when did you two start having that kind of relationship?"

"Ah, that kind of relationship?" Kyu echoed.

"To think that Ryu and Ami were going out..." Kazuma added. "You got me there."

"Going out..." Kyu trailed.

"Should we tell them?" Ami grinned mischievously. "Since it's come to this, do you want me to announce that we're dating?"

"Dating..." Kyu snorted in disbelief.

"You're a tease, you know that." Ryu quirked a brow at her.

"And you love me for it." Ami smirked.

"Oh, that's how it is." Kinta realized what was going on. "I knew you two were acting suspicious in the hospital."

"Thank goodness it wasn't Megu." Kazuma voiced. "Otherwise, I would've doubted Ryu's taste."

"Hey Kazuma, what do you mean by that?" Megu demanded.

"Ah, nothing." Kazuma replied.

"Ryu," Kyu approached the young couple. "Welcome back."

"Yeah." Ryu nodded.

"Are you okay?" Kyu asked. "Does your wound still hurt?"

"I'm okay." Ryu assured.

"You shouldn't ask him that question." Ami joked. "He'll say 'I'm okay', no matter what."

"But still, Cerberus is quite a coward." Megu noted. "Targeting Ami's life just because he was beaten in his own challenge."

"I think he went berserk because all his murder plans were solved." Ryu surmised.

"By the way," Kazuma started. "In the past, Dan-sensei's assistant lost his life during the battle with Pluto, right?"

"A man named Renjou Satoru." Kinta added.

"Kinta, how do you know his name?" Megu asked, the rest crowded around the eldest of the group.

"I was curious about it, so I got Haruka to investigate it." Kinta replied.

"He was called 'Dan-sensei's successor', right?" Kazuma inquired. "What kind of person is he?"

"I don't know that much." Kinta admitted.

"Hey, in this Mission Room, didn't it say this was Dan-sensei's starting point as a detective?" Ami voiced. "So, if we look around, we might find a picture or something."

At her suggestion, the team split up to search.

"Hey, this picture..." Megu sounded.

"Maybe it's this person." Ami concluded, looking at the framed photo.

"He quite good-looking." Kinta noted.

"He looks smart too." Kazuma admitted.

"Wait, let me see too." Kyu interjected and Ami handed the photo to him.

"What's wrong, Kyu?" Megu asked, noticing his stunned expression.

"It's the detective ouji-san." Kyu muttered.

"Is that..." Megu realized his implication. "Could he be... the reason you want to become a detective?"

Kyu said nothing and dug out the notebook he kept.

"Isn't the content similar to what's written in the DDS notebook?" Kinta took the leather-covered book and flipped it open.

"That was given to me by this man." Kyu added

"Can you show me that notebook too?" Dan-sensei requested.

"Dan-sensei!" the group chorused and Kyu presented the book to the handicapped detective.

"Renjou..." Dan-sensei reminisced and shut his eyes. Opening his eyes, he focused on Kyu and made the connection.

"Eh, Dan-sensei..." Kyu blinked, seeing the elder detective's stunned expression.

"Kyu-kun." Dan-sensei returned the notebook. "Where did you meet him?"

"The first time I met him was at a park in my neighborhood when I was 6 years old." Kyu replied, recalling. "After that, we met sometimes. And he taught me some magic tricks."

"I can't believe that this coincidence can happen." Megu mused.

"And you received the notebook then?" Dan-sensei asked.

"No." Kyu replied. "That... it was a little while after that, I got involved in a terrible incident. I was kidnapped. During that time, I was really scared, hoping someone would save me. And then... at that time, I swore that when I grew up, I'll become a detective, just like ouji-san. I received it after that, he said that this contains information about being a detective. Since then, I always followed this detective information notebook the best I can. That's why, even being able to get into Q Class, was all because of that."

"Renjou lost his life right after solving the kidnapping incident." Dan-sensei supplied. "At that time, we had pushed Pluto to the verge of destruction. In order to let King Hades escape, they even tried to take our lives. You guys too, should never leave your guards down." he looked at the group.

"Yes sir." the group chorused.

* * *

Later...

"Dan-sensei." Nanami-sensei voiced.

"Thank you." Dan-sensei noted as Nanami-sensei placed a cup on the table.

"Dan-sensei." Nanami-sensei started. "Could it be that Kyu is..."

"8 years ago, Renjou meddled in a kidnapping outside his responsibility." Dan-sensei replied. "Alone, he recklessly entered the hideout of the criminals. For that calm and composed Renjou, that was an unimaginable act. Now, I fully understand why. Kyu-kun is Renjou's son. The first time I met Kyu-kun, I had a nostalgic and mysterious feeling. But for him to be Renjou's son..."

"I wonder why Renjou-san kept it a secret?" Nanami-sensei wondered.

"He probably feared that his family will be involved in his battle with Pluto." Dan-sensei surmised.

"Sensei," Nanami-sensei added. "Does Kyu know about this?"

* * *

At the swings in the park in his neighborhood...

Kyu flipped open the notebook and looked intensely at the handwriting. "You're Pluto's..." he blinked when Yurie came into view.

"This place brings back memories, right?" Yurie sat on the swing beside him.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"8 years ago," Yurie started. "I was the one who got you, Renjou-san's number one weakness, kidnapped."

"I'm Ouji-san's weakness..." Kyu was confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"I thought someone as smart as you would have noticed already." Yurie remarked.

"Could it be..." Kyu started putting the pieces together.

"That's right." Yurie confirmed. "Renjou-san was your father."

"Ouji-san is..." Kyu gasped in shock. "My..."

"Pluto is your father's enemy." Yurie added. "That say that what goes around, comes around. You and Ryu-sama have a complicated relationship, huh?"

The seed planted, she left.

* * *

The next day, in the Mission Room...

"Good morning." Kyu greeted the team.

"Good morning." the group returned the greeting.

"That's weird." Ami commented after Kyu stopped before her and Ryu for a moment and took his seat.

"Kyu," Kinta stated. "Are you still concerned about Renjou-san?"

"Being discouraged for so long, to isn't like you." Kazuma noted.

"Shut up!" Kyu snapped. "As if you guys know how I feel!"

"Kyu," Megu started. "What's wrong?"

_Don't tell me he..._ Ami's eyes widened in realization. _Oh crap, heads _are_ going to roll._

"What are you fighting about so early in the morning?" Nanami-sensei chided. "We have a special lesson today. We're going to see Cerberus."

"If he tries anything, I'll castrate him." Ami stated after a moment's of silence.

* * *

In the Kantou Special Prison...

"This building is built with the guidance of Dan Detective Office." Nanami-sensei remarked. "Strict security, the latest monitoring system and most advanced equipments."

"This one." Angel pointed to the gate before them. "Aka, 'The Mouse Trap'."

"Touyama." Nanami-sensei voiced. "Get in."

"Eh?" Kinta blinked. "Me?"

Nanami-sensei just grinned and placed his hand on the palm reader.

"He's a guinea pig, right?" Angel deathpanned as the door unlocked and Kinta entered the gates.

"Huh?" Kinta blinked when the gate on the other side remain locked. "What's going on? Sensei!"

"In the space between these doors, unless 2 are people inside it at the same time, the 2nd door will never open." Nanami-sensei replied, unlocking the first door and entering.

"Even if you have an ID card, if the sensor doesn't sense the presence of 2 people, the door will never open." Angel supplied.

"Well, that explains why the prison guards here are constantly acting in pairs." Ami noted.

"Even if Cerberus escapes, as long as we have this system, he can never run away." Nanami-sensei assured.

* * *

Outside Cerberus' cell...

"Thanks for your hard work." Nanami-sensei greeted Tanaka.

"Here." Tanaka gestured.

"Well, well, if it isn't Q Class." Cerberus noted. "And the another two people, is that you, Nanami Koutarou-kun and the lovely Angel?"

"That eye mask." Kinta started. "Can he see through it?"

"No." Angel replied. "It's a special custom made article. Cerberus is good at hypnosis, so it's dangerous to look directly in his eyes."

"Then why?" Megu wondered.

"I counted your footsteps and knew that there are 8 people." Cerberus replied. "5 of those are about the size of a junior high student. The only ones in that age group who can come in here are the member of Q Class. The other 3 were adult-sized, one's wearing sandals, the other leather boots and the last, steel-heeled boots. Plus, the leather boots were trying to make as little footstep sounds as possible. Common to an experienced detective. Am I right, Nanami-kun?"

"As expected from Pluto's Ace." Nanami-sensei applauded. "That's an impressive insight."

"Is there something you need from me?" Cerberus inquired.

"I wanted to show the pitiful state of an evil man locked in prison to these young detectives." Nanami-sensei replied.

"I see." Cerberus commented. "A fun extracurricular lesson."

" And another thing," Nanami-sensei added. "I came to offer a plea agreement. I came here with a consent from the higher-ups." he entered the cell. "If you offer us and the police important information regarding Pluto, we'll reduce the penalty for your crime."

"What's my crime?" Cerberus snorted. "I have never killed anyone with these hands. Even if I don't receive a reduction of penalty, I won't be charged for a huge crime."

"It seems that you have no intention of accepting the deal." Nanami-sensei noted.

"Why do you..." Kyu started. "Why does Pluto always take advantage of people's weaknesses?"

"No matter how good one person is in the eyes of others, people are born with the seed of a culprit." Cerberus replied. "Pluto waters the seed and takes care of it. And the seed will sprout naturally and the flower will bloom by itself. It'll bloom because of hatred, a flower called 'Crime for art's sake.'. For example, what will you do if someone important to you gets murdered. Don't you want to take revenge against the murderer? Could it be... you know about that... I see. It's certainly regretful. Because you'll never see him again."

"Bastard," Kyu growled, entering the cell. "If you don't stop that... Will you stop it already?"

"Hey, Kyu!" Nanami-sensei pulled Kyu off Cerberus. "What are you doing?"

"What's going on?" Tanaka asked

Hissing, Kyu took off.

"Kyu!" the rest of Q Class chased after the enraged teen.

"Kyu, wait!" Ami called. "You can't go further by yourself."

"Kyu, what's wrong?" Megu asked. "Suddenly grabbing Cerberus like that. It's not like you."

"He's my father..." Kyu started.

"Eh?" Megu blinked.

"Renjou-san was my father." Kyu spilled.

"So, you found out." Ami noted.

"Yeah." Kyu nodded.

"Kyu," Ryu started. "I'm sorry."

"Stop that." Kyu chided. "Why are you apologizing?"

"But..." Ryu protested.

"I've always thought that Pluto was unforgivable." Kyu stated. "But I didn't hold a grudge against them. But, I didn't know that I had such ugly emotions deep inside me. In my head, I know that it's wrong. But, I can't suppress my hatred against Pluto!"

* * *

Later...

"Kyu-kun has..." Dan-sensei echoed when Nanami-sensei reported.

"It seems that he has found out about the truth." Nanami-sensei replied.

"Pluto is shaking us up." Dan-sensei concluded.

"Sensei." Nanami-sensei started.

* * *

On the rooftop of the building...

"Kyu." Kinta voiced, the group approaching the teen. "You were here, huh? We were looking for you."

"What's wrong?" Kyu asked, keeping the notebook.

"When a friend is suffering, w can't just shut up and look, right?" Kazuma replied.

"I want to be alone." Kyu stated.

"Kyu." Megu ran up to him. "Kyu, wait."

"Negative and positive emotions act like a gradient," Ami started. "Together, they blend together and make some sort of barometer, with some things being more negative to a person and some things being more positive. Having negative emotions is natural; that's what makes you human. The most important thing, is," she paused before the confused teen. "Not letting your hatred cloud your judgment. I understand your pain. But remember, nothing comes out of hatred."

"How could you say you understand my pain?" Kyu glared at the group leader. "You don't..."

SLAP!

A resounding slap was heard when Ami gave him a slap across the cheek.

"Don't you dare..." Ami hissed. "Don't you dare say that... I, too have lost someone to Pluto! Black-sensei was killed onboard when an oil tanker loaded with 17 tonnes of TNT exploded with _him_ on it! In a flash, I lost a teacher, a mentor and a father, Celia-nee lost her husband and the rest of the Guardians lost their pillar of strength! And you know the worst part?" she let out a grim smile. "I was there. I was there when the oil tanker blew up and I couldn't do anything to save him because I was too weak!"

"Ami, I'm so sorry!" Megu exclaimed.

"It's okay." Ami assured. "It isn't as if you knew, right?"

"Isn't that the feeling you've always used to speak to those criminals?" Megu turned to Kyu. "Be positive, Kyu. Regain your composure"

"Sorry." Kyu apologized and hurried off.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Ryu." Megu started when Ryu slammed his fists on the table.

"Kyu is always thinking about us and worrying about us." Ryu stated. "If it weren't for Kyu, I... we couldn't have been real friends. He's in that much pain yet can't we do anything?"

* * *

The next day, on the streets...

Kyu leaned against a bridge when he saw Yurie walked on the opposite side and took off after her.

* * *

In the Kantou Special Prison...

"Cerberus is becoming unstable?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Yes." the guard replied. "He keeps talking and then he would sometimes laugh."

"Getting guarded that severely, anyone would go crazy." Moroboshi remarked as he and Nekoda entered the security gate.

"That's true." Nekoda agreed, shutting the door. "Ah!" he gasped when the locks clicked shut.

"Eh?" Moroboshi blinked. "Why did you come in?" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry." Nekoda apologized. "Ah, oh no. What now? Eh, this is..."

"He isn't going crazy." Nanami-sensei corrected. "He'll do something eventually.

"Detective Nanami." Nekoda complained. "Um, your hand, place your hand on that 'beep' thing. Out your hand..."

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Kyu is trailing a woman?" Kinta echoed when Haruka called him.

"Kyu-kun has a scary look on his face so I was worried." Haruka replied.

"What about that woman?" Ryu asked.

"A very beautiful woman on her thirties with a white dress and a parasol." Haruka replied.

"Yurie." Ami concluded. "It's Pluto."

"It's Pluto's trap." Ryu agreed.

"Haruka, I'm sorry." Kinta requested. "But can you follow Kyu until we meet up?"

* * *

In the Kantou Special Prison...

"Hey." Nakamura's call cut Tanaka from his book.

"Ah, good work." Tanaka put down his book. "Good work."

"How's his state?" Nakamura asked.

"Well," Tanaka replied. "Even Cerberus, a big shot in Pluto, had his nerve shaken in this severity."

"Mealtime huh?" Cerberus mused when the guard stepped in with the food tray. "During meals at least, can't you remove my handcuffs?"

"No." Nakamura replied. "We were ordered not to remove your handcuffs and blindfold."

"Then, at least, give me more bread." Cerberus requested.

"Wait a minute." Nakamura sighed.

"These handcuffs are really in the way." Cerberus noted, dropping his spoon.

"Hey!" Tanaka exclaimed, hurrying over when Cerberus tried to pull the secured shackles off. "What's wrong? What have you done?" he asked, seeing the blood on Cerberus' hands.

"The handcuffs were in the way." Cerberus replied. "So I thought I'd bite out my wrists."

"Wait, I'll take it off." Tanaka flustered as Cerberus' teeth returned to work. "Don't move"! He barked, working on the cuff's lock.

Cerberus then removed his blindfold from his eyes once the cuffs went off, activating his hypnosis on Tanaka. "I'm glad." he started. "That you were the one who always listened to me. The reason I've continually talked to you this whole week was in preparation for this moment. I'm glad that I only need to look into your eyes to hypnotize you." Popping a pill into his mouth, he looked at the floor to reveal that the blood was actually red sauce from the food tray.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Do you know this place?" Yurie asked, having led Kyu to a warehouse. "This is where your father died. The place you're standing at, is probably where Renjou Satoru passed away."

"Stop it." Kyu commented. "Stop!"

"Pitiful huh?" Yurie continued. "Will his death literally be in vain?"

"I told you to stop!" Kyu growled, his foot stepping on a dagger on the ground. Blade in hand, Kyu slowly approached Yurie.

"Kyu, stop it!" Megu called, the rest of the group arriving on scene.

"Let go!" Kyu demanded when Ryu clashed into him, forcing the knife out of his hands.

"Idiot!" Ryu hollered, leveling a punch on Kyu.

"What are you doing?" Kyu demanded, Ryu dodging the thrown punch. "Don't get in my way!"

"What are you two doing?" Megu exclaimed, trying to come between the two warring teens. "Stop it!" when Ami raised both arms out to stop her.

Ryu leveled a punch across Kyu's cheek. "Kyu!" he barked. "Do you think Renjou-san would want you to take revenge? How can you take Renjou-san's feelings that lightly? Remember once again what your father taught you?"

After recalling his father's words, Kyu let his anger dispel.

Ryu got off him and offered a hand.

Kyu took the hand and allowed Ryu to pull him up.

"Kyu." Ryu started. "Please do not give into Pluto's wickedness. Kyu, you're not alone. No matter what happens, we're by your side. You said that's what friends are, right?"

"Ryu." Kyu smiled in gratitude.

"Ryu-sama." Yurie voiced. "You've totally become part of Q Class."

"You used hypnotic suggestion, didn't you?" Ami surmised.

"We've only watered the seed sleeping in Kyu-kun." Yurie corrected. "But this is merely prologue." with that, she got into her escape vehicle and rode off.

"Everyone." Kyu turned to the group. "I'm sorry."

"Stupid Kyu!" Megu muttered, running up to him.

"Ouch!" Kyu complained when Megu pinched his cheeks. "It hurts! It hurts!"

"It doesn't hurt!" Megu insisted. "It doesn't hurt."

"Why? Why? Why?" Kyu protested. "It hurts!"

"What?" Megu insisted. "Shut up!" as Ryu and Ami chucked in amusement. "Megu's 'Pinch of Love'." Ami grinned.

"Why is Ryu laughing?" Kyu wondered. "Don't laugh!"

"Shut up!" Megu snapped.

"Ouch!" Kyu whined. "O..."

* * *

In the Kantou Special Prison...

"Huh?" Nakamura had returned with Cerberus' request. "Where's Tanaka? What happened to the chains?" he exclaimed, seeing Cerberus' cell was empty.

"That voice." Cerberus started. "Nakamura-san?"

"Huh?" Nakamura gasped. "This is..."

"Ah!" Cerberus replied. "He got me! Cerberus escaped! Press the emergency alarm!"

"What are you saying?" Nakamura demanded. "You're Cerberus!"

"He was trying to bite his wrist off and I carelessly looked into his eyes." Cerberus replied. "Do I look like Cerberus?" he ripped off the eyeglasses.

"What are you talking about?" Nakamura demanded. "Look at your own face! Here!" he presented a mirror in front of Cerberus.

"No way." Cerberus gasped. "Why? Why do I have Cerberus' face? Even his voice? Take it off..." he tried to pull off the mask. "Take it off. Why can't I remove it?"

"Are you really Tanaka?" Nakamura gasped.

"Please believe me, Nakamura-san." Cerberus pleaded. "I'm sure he's planning to escape by pretending to be me. Nakamura-san, please believe me. My face hurts!" he suddenly exclaimed. "My face burns! It's hot! Hot!"

"Huh?" the guards blinked as the alarm was sounded. "What?"

"Cerberus has escaped!" Nakamura declared over the loudspeaker. "Cerberus has escaped! Emergency System activated! Cerberus is disguised as Officer Tanaka!"

"Bastard, he really did it!" Nanami-sensei growled as Moroboshi and Nekoda took off.

* * *

In the warehouse...

"We'll go there right away." Ami replied, when Nanami-sensei informed her. "Cerberus escaped." she told her team.

* * *

In the Kantou Special Prison...

"There he is!" a guard spotted Tanaka and he and his partner took off after him. "After him! Wait! After him! There he is!" Tanaka skidded to a stop when he was sandwiched between the two guards chasing him and Nanami-sensei's group.

"The mousetrap is ahead." Nanami-sensei remarked. "Even Cerberus can't do anything."

Tanaka knocked a guard behind him with an elbow knock and fled down the corridor.

"Where is he going?" Moroboshi asked as the group chased after the criminal. "Could be he going to the rooftop?"

"Stop it!" a guard demanded when Tanaka held a guard hostage, a syringe poised to stab at the hostage's neck. "Let go!"

"Cerberus!" Nanami-sensei's group hurried to the rooftop. "Stop it! You'll never get away no matter what you do."

"Nanami-san, it's bad." the head guard reported. "It's about Tanaka who was transferred to the infirmary."

"It seems that Officer Tanaka's mask uses some special type of adhesive and it can't be removed." the nurse reported. "Plus, we think there's some strong poison. We can't do anything about it."

The Tanaka-disgiused Cerberus spat out the pill from his mouth.

"Using the drug for the removal of Tanaka's mask, he intends to make an exchange deal." Nanami-sensei surmised.

"Excuse me, this is Tanaka." Tanaka voiced from the infirmary. "Don't worry about me. Anyway, don't accept Cerberus' exchange deal. That's right, DDS laboratory can probably save me."

"Let me talk to the doctor." Nanami-sensei requested. "Send an emergency request to the DDS laboratory. Transfer Officer Tanaka."

"Don't come." the Tanaka-disgiused Cerberus warned, nearing the edge of the roof.

"Help me." the hostage stammered.

Nanami-sensei let his hat fly, pushing Cerberus off the hostage. "This isn't like you, Cerberus." he quickly apprehended the disguised officer. "Using such a naïve trick, did you think you'll get away?"

"I am Cerberus." the disguised officer muttered. "I will never be caught."

"Could it be?" Nanami-sensei realized their mistake. "NO!" he cried when Tanaka stabbed the needle into his thigh.

* * *

In the ambulance...

"What's wrong?" the doctor asked, upon hearing Cerberus's whistle.

"Thank you for your services." Cerberus got up. "You're exhausted and tired, right? So please sleep for a bit." and he invoked his hypnosis, knocking the doctor out.

* * *

On the side road...

Q Class had hurried onto the road where the ambulance was reported to be traveling on, only to be forced to let the ambulance pass by when they saw Cerberus in the driver's seat.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"The ambulance is found." Dan-sensei reported, after receiving a phone call. "Cerberus has escaped already. We have completely lost this time. Once again, a dreadful enemy is running free again. Be more attentive than ever before."

"Yes sir." the group chorused and headed to the door as Kyu remained still.

"Dan-sensei," Kyu started. "I'm very sorry for making everyone worry."

"Kyu-kun." Dan-sensei stated. "No matter what the reason is, a detective must never act on a personal grudge."

"Yes." Kyu nodded. "A detective will use reason as a weapon to fight evil." he quote from his father. "We won't give in to Pluto's wickedness. This is..." he blinked , taking the box Dan-sensei handed to him.

"It's Renjou's memento that I've been holding onto." Dan-sensei replied. "Take it."

Kyu opened the box to reveal his father's wedding band. Closing his hand over the ring, he recalled his father's words and looked at the rest of Q Class a moment later.

"Dan-sensei!" Nanami-sensei entered the room on clutches. "I'm very sorry."

"Our reputation has collapsed." Dan-sensei noted and slapped Nanami-sensei's injury.

"Oh yes!" Nanami-sensei cried out.

"Have you guys _ever_ wish for a normal sensei for once?" Ami deathpanned.

"Ames, that's harsh." Ryu smirked.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"How come you come back as if nothing has happened?" Yurie asked as Cerberus arrived to the rooftop.

"Is Hades-sama intending to get rid of me?" Cerberus inquired.

"We'll know after Hades-sama finishes his final plan." Yurie replied.

"Final plan?" Cerberus echoed.

"The curtain for Hades-sama's perfect crime will rise soon." Yurie promised. "In order to awaken the evil blood sleeping in Ryu-sama's body."

* * *

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.


	10. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Ten

SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 9 goes up. This is Chapter 10 and only one review. No one else is reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope' and her current muse): Great, now you non-reviewing readers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Warp-Digivolves into Magnadramon

and fires a stream of 'Dragon Fire ' at the non-reviewing readers)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 10: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Ten

* * *

Time passes, in Ryu's house...

Ryu was mediating in the library when a memory came to him.

_

* * *

Flashback_

"_Father?" a seven-year-old Ryu inquired. "Where are you?" he entered a room. "Father? Father? Father? Father?" the camera shifted to Ryu's father hanging on the ceiling._

* * *

At that, Ryu opened his eyes as the memory continued.

_

* * *

Flashback_

"_Father!" the young Ryu tried to shake his father awake. "Father! Father! Father! Father! Father..."_

* * *

Getting up, Ryu walked over to the bookshelf and took out a file. Flipping it open, he revealed four photos.

"So, it's time then." Ami voiced knowingly, hugging him from behind and resting her head on his shoulder, the Amakusa-emblemed 'Bond Ring' on her ring finger, the Guardian having moved into his place upon Ryu's insistence.

"Yeah." Ryu replied, looking at the girl on his shoulder, leaning into his beloved's embrace, welcoming her gentle, comforting touch hungrily. Her mere presence had soothed him, pulling the brooding teen from the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him.

"It'll be alright." Ami assured him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You'll see."

"Thank you." Ryu gave her a grateful smile, returning the kiss with one of his own on the lips.

"Should I..." Ami trailed, resting her head on his chest after they broke off.

"No." Ryu assured. "I'll be fine."

"You can't do this alone." Ami reminded. "Remember, I too, am part of this. It _is_ time we concluded this chapter of our past, together."

"Together." Ryu nodded in agreement, before claiming another kiss from his 'Bonded'.

* * *

The next day...

"Ryu!" Kyu called out, seeing the familiar back. "Are you going somewhere?"

"There's something I want to investigate by myself." Ryu replied.

"Could it be..." Kyu trailed. "Something that involves Pluto?"

"Once I get back, I'll tell you everything." Ryu promised. "So, don't worry."

"Last night," Kyu started. "I had a weird dream."

"Dream?" Ryu echoed.

"A dream where a young Ryu is crying." Kyu replied.

"What in the world is that..." Ryu remarked, the memory of finding his father's body still in his mind.

"Hey, Ryu." Kyu started. "There's one thing I'd like you to promise me."

"What is it?" Ryu asked.

"No matter what happens, I'll believe in you." Kyu commented. "That's why at the very least, don't ever lie."

"Alright." Ryu answered. "I'll never lie. I promise." and that, he went on his way.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"Good morning." Kyu greeted the group gathered.

"Do you know where Amakusa and Mizuno are?" Nanami-sensei inquired.

"Ah, earlier, I saw Ryu near the train station." Kyu replied. "He has a traveling bag and he said there's something he wants to investigate. I'm assuming Ami went with him. Did something happen to them?"

"Dan-sensei." Nanami-sensei prodded.

"Members of Q Class." Dan-sensei started. "There's something I'd like you to see. This is a hotel called Seiryuukan Hotel designed by a famous architect. There are 4 Seiryuukan Hotels in the Kantou Suburbs. Now, the owners of each of those hotels have gathered in order to hold a 'Nanakaiki' for the architect, who was the previous owner. A strange threat letter is being sent persistently to these people."

"'Whoever provokes the imperial wrath of the dragon will be punishable by death.'" Kyu recited.

"About this last crest looking mark..." Megu trailed.

"It appears in the Chinese legends." Dan-sensei replied. "Gaishi, a child dragon. Known as a dragon that likes to kill."

"Likes to kill?" Kinta echoed.

"And this is the invitation to the 'Nanakaiki'." Dan-sensei added. "Look at the name of the organizer of the 'Nanakaiki'."

"The organizer is Ryu!" Kyu gasped.

"The name of the architect who designed the Seiryuukan is Amakusa Takumi." Dan-sensei continued. "Amakusa-kun's father. Because Amakusa-kun is involved in this, and Mizuno, being his betrothed, is also indirectly implicated, I've decided that it's wise for you to investigate this. Find the sender of this threat and its aim."

"Q Class, march out." Nanami-sensei gave the order.

"Yes sir!" the four teens chorused.

"I have a favor to ask of you." Dan-sensei held Kyu back

"What might that be?" Kyu inquired.

"I'd like you to believe in Amakusa-kun until the very, very end." Dan-sensei requested.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked.

"The only ones who can do that, besides Mizuno, Kyu-kun, is you." Dan-sensei added. "If one is convinced that someone believes in him, and there's someone he can believe in, a person will not become too twisted. If there was someone who believed in him till the end, Kouko Hoshihiko might not have become King Hades."

"Eh?" Kyu gasped. "Dan-sensei, you know King Hades?"

"He was once my best friend." Dan-sensei replied.

* * *

In front of the Seiryuukan Hotel gate...

Ryu had arrived at his destination.

"For him to really appear..." Cerberus mused, driving a car into the driveway. "As expected of Hades-sama."

"This is only the beginning." Yurie added, as Ami met up with her partner, the couple entering the hotel together. "Ryu-sama will try to cut through his fate with his own hands. Without knowing how foolish and futile it is. Everything is moving according to Hades-sama's plan. You should watch it too." she told Cerberus. "The moment the fate of a murderer sleeping inside Ryu-sama wakes up."

* * *

In the main hall...

"Seems that we're the only ones who were called out after all." Udo remarked.

"I've completely forgotten about those two kids." Benishiro admitted.

"You couldn't possibly forget." Tsubaki reminded. "Why make such an insignificant lie at a time like this?"

"But," Udo started. "We haven't heard from them in 7 years. So why now?"

"Probably, he might have realized that..." Nanamura stepped into the room. "You've received this threat too, right?" she presented the letter to the reminding three.

"About the fact that we killed his father, he found out so he's going to take revenge?" Benishiro surmised. "And that because we threatened the girl's mother to force the mother to take the daughter and leave?"

"But that was supposed to be a secret among the four of us." Tsubaki reminded.

"What's wrong, Udo-san?" Nanamura inquired, pulling Udo's hand to touch her thigh. "Are you curious about my leg? Still conscientiously following the words of the man you've killed?" she taunted when Udo walked off to pour himself a glass of champagne. "Unexpectedly, you're a coward, Udo-san?"

"A flashy outfit as usual." Tsubaki remarked. "It must be hard for a woman who sells her body."

"Yes." Nanamura replied. "Unlike someone who threw away her womanhood."

"What?" Tsubaki demanded.

"You two..." Benishiro chided. "Let's stop fighting at a time like this. It's over! Ow!" he winced when his wife gripped his wrist.

"Who do you think you're married to?" Tsubaki growled.

"Eh?" Benishiro chuckled.

"Who is it?" Udo asked, spotting someone at the door.

"Amakusa Ryu-sama and Mizuno Ami-sama have arrived." Kamiya reported.

* * *

In the waiting hall...

"Ryu-sama, Ami-sama!" Udo greeted the young couple.

"Hey, everyone." Ryu got up from his seat.

"It's been awhile." Ami added.

"You've grown well." Benishiro remarked.

"I couldn't even recognize you two." Nanamura agreed. "What a compatible couple you make."

"How nostalgic, Ryu-sama, Ami-sama." Tsubaki commented.

"I'm sorry for suddenly calling you." Ryu stated. "I'd like everyone who inherited a part of my father's property to participate in the 'Nanakaiki'."

"Naturally, of course." Udo agreed.

"I'd like to find out about my father." Ryu added. With a bow to answer to the fake smiles presented, Ryu led Ami off. "I'm excited about what I'll learn." he added, and the two retiring back to their room. Benishiro tightened his grip on his walking stick as Nanamura placed her hands on his, soothing him.

"That was so fake." Ami muttered. "Now, the hard part begins." she noted.

"Yeah." Ryu agreed.

* * *

Later...

"Is that so?" Udo inquired when the rest of Q Class arrived at the hotel. "Everyone is Ryu-sama and Ami-sama's..."

"Um," Megu stated. "Where's Ryu and Ami?"

"Resting in their shared room." Udo replied.

"Regarding the threat," Kyu started. "Do you have any idea?"

"Not really." Udo replied. "That's why we requested for an investigation."

"Ah..." Kyu nodded.

"Manager." Kamiya reported. "It's bad, the scroll painting in the hall has..."

Udo hurried off the the hall with the rest of Q Class in tow.

* * *

In the main hall...

"Everyone." Ryu blinked as the group entered.

"Why are you here?" Ami asked, having changed into a light blue toga dress.

"The owners of the Seiryuukan Hotel received threat letters." Kyu replied. "So we've come to investigate that."

"Threat letter?" Ryu echoed.

"It's this one." Udo showed the couple his letter.

"Ryu." Megu started. "I heard you're doing your father's 'Nanakaiki' here, right?"

"Sorry for not saying anything." Ryu apologized. "Because it was a personal thing, and it wasn't something fun."

"We're curious about that threat letter." Megu remarked.

"What a rare scroll painting." Kinta noted. "The kimono is made of bird feathers.

"A scroll painting in an image of a bird." Ami recalled. "A very expensive art piece in Takumi-ouji-sama's collection if I remember correctly."

"The feathers have been plucked off." Kinta stated.

"Kinta." Ryu warned, stopping Kinta from touching one of the feathers on the ground. "Don't touch it."

"Eh?" Kinta blinked.

"This is the legendary poisonous bird Chin's feather." Ami supplied. "It is said that there's enough poison in one feather to kill someone."

"Are you serious?" Kinta echoed.

"To the point that it was encased in glass." Ryu added. "Because there's a possibility that there's poison."

"Who in the world took it?" Udo demanded.

"Using the security camera in the hall, we should know who entered this room." Ryu suggested. "Please investigate it later."

"I understand." Udo nodded.

"Udo-san," Megu voiced. "What's that?" she looked over at the champagne glass pyramid.

"Ah," Udo noted. "The will of the late father of Ryu-sama. A blockade so that it won't open."

"For what reason?" Kazuma inquired.

"'This hall's two doors, that frog door and this snail door.'" Ami recited from memory. "'If you open both at the same time, you'll provoke the imperial wrath of the dragon.'"

"Which is why we're always blocking this frog door." Udo added.

'Provoke the imperial wrath of the dragon'?" Kyu echoed. "Ami, how did you know?"

"Curiosity killed the five-year-old." Ami shrugged.

"It's the same as the threat." Megu realized. "What does this mean?" the group turned to the couple.

"Well, we..." Ryu started. "Still have to prepare for tomorrow. So excuse us." he led Ami out of the main hall.

* * *

That night, in their shared room...

"A red moon; an ominous sign." Ami looked up at the night sky, now clad in a nightie. "Blood will be spilled tonight." she predicted, resting her head against her lover's chest.

* * *

In their shared room...

"It's no good." Kyu remarked. "I'm just getting Ryu and Ami's voice mail."

"They were acting strange." Kinta noted.

"Could Ryu be hiding something from us again?" Kazuma wondered.

"Oh, it's just you, Haruka." Kinta sighed, answering the call.

* * *

In the juice bar...

"What do you mean by that?" Haruka chided. "Don't you want to hear about Ryu's father?"

"Sorry, sorry." Kinta apologized. "Please tell me."

"Cause of death is suicide." Haruka replied.

* * *

In their shared room...

"Suicide?" Kinta echoed.

* * *

In the juice bar...

"Seem like he was a famous architect." Haruka added. "I got it from a weekly publication. From the shock of his wife's death, he hanged himself at home."

* * *

In their shared room...

"About Ryu and Ami, was there anything else?" Kinta asked.

* * *

In the juice bar...

"Nothing about that." Haruka replied. "Except that Ami and her mother just disappeared on the night the suicide occurred."

* * *

In their shared room...

"Okay, thank you." Kinta noted. "I'll contact you again if something happens."

"Home?" Kazuma echoed. "It's this Seiryuukan Hotel, right?"

"This is an abominable place for them both, huh?" Kinta mused.

"Ah!" Kyu blinked. "By the way, where's Megu?"

"She's hungry, so she went to make some midnight snack." Kazuma replied.

"Geez, that glutton." Kinta snorted. "What is she doing at a time like this?"

* * *

In the main hall...

"Like I'll let you out alive..." Udo downed another glass of alcohol. "With these hands, I'll end you life."

* * *

In the guest hall...

"This is perfect for a rainy season after all, yeah..." Megu returned to the room with a armful of cup noodles when she heard something in the main hall.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch." Tsubaki winced.

"It's quite swollen today." Benishiro noted as he massaged his wife's foot. "It's probably the shoes. It looked good on you, though."

"Anyway, that woman has an awful attitude." Tsubaki remarked. "She's still bitter about getting her leg injured because of Udo-san."

"Stop that way of talking." Benishiro chided. "Her dream of becoming an actress was crushed because of that. She's just being a little rebellious. Let's just watch over her."

"Stop it." Tsubaki warned. "Another obvious lie. Stop your lies. Besides," she added removing her leg from his lap. "I'm telling you, I'll never going divorce you. Like I'll let things go her way."

"Hey, wait." Benishiro called as his wife stumbled off, Megu hiding in the decorative phone box. "Wait a minute, honey!"

"A love triangle, huh?" Megu mused. "Must be hard to be an adult. I should be careful too."

Walking past the main hall, she peered into the room from the window and was stunned to see a strangled Udo before a stern-looking Ryu.

* * *

In the main hall...

"Hello." Ryu called the police on his cellphone. "This is Seiryuukan Hotel, the owner of the hotel has been killed."

* * *

In their shared room...

"Welcome back." Ami looked up from her paperback when her partner returned. "It has began, then." she remarked knowingly, noticing her lover's expression.

"Yeah." Ryu replied. "Looks like your premonition is proven right again."

"Looks like the roles been reversed." Ami joked as Ryu leaned into her comforting embrace.

"Tease." Ryu smirked, kissing her nose.

"And you love me for it." Ami returned his smirk with one of her own as the pair cuddled in bed.

"It's been an exhausting day." Ryu told his mentally exhausted love. "Get some sleep. We've lots to do tomorrow."

"Agreed." Ami nodded and the couple dozed off on each other's arms.

* * *

The next day, in the main hall...

"'Anyone who provokes the imperial wrath of the dragon will be punished by death.'" Moroboshi read the letter.

"A threat that was sent to the owners of the Seiryuukan Hotel." Kyu supplied.

"In short, this incident is an advance murder notice." Moroboshi surmised.

"Moroboshi-san." Nekoda came in. "The cause of death is strangulation. The estimated time of death is from 1 am until it was found at 2 am.."

"That champagne tower's been there all along?" Moroboshi inquired, looking at the glass pyramid.

"Yes." Ryu replied.

"It's impossible to enter by moving this." Nekoda concluded, testing the table.

"If so, the culprit could only have entered through that door." Moroboshi gestured to the snail door.

"Yes." Ami confirmed.

"Ah, there's a security camera at the hallway." Nekoda voiced. "If we look at the recorded tape, we can find out who went in and out."

"Alright, investigate that." Moroboshi gave the order as Megu gave the silent Ryu a side-glance, recalling what she had seen last night.

"Ok!" Nekoda went off.

"Why did it spill?" Kyu went over to the table.

"The culprit probably tried to move it, huh?" Moroboshi mused.

* * *

In the waiting hall...

"We'd like to report the result of the investigation of the security camera." Moroboshi told the gathered group. "Only two people entered that room. One of them is the victim, Udo-san, and the other one, Amakusa-kun, is you."

"Ryu-sama killed Udo-san." Tsubaki gasped.

"Wait a minute." Ryu protested. "I didn't do it."

"I believe him." Ami agreed, tightening her hold on her 'Bonded'. "This _has_ to be a mistake."

"Ryu can't possibly be the culprit." Kyu concurred.

"Amakusa-kun, why did you go to the hall at that time?" Moroboshi inquired.

"Last night, this memo was slipped under the gap of my door." Ryu replied, showing the detectives the note.

"'I'd like to talk about your father." Moroboshi read. "'I'll be waiting at the hallway at 2 am. Udo. Word processor, huh? There's no proof that Udo-san wrote this."

"That's right." Nekoda agreed.

"There's no hidden door in that room." Moroboshi added. "One can only enter by the snail door. If that's the case, the only one who can kill Udo-san is you, Amakusa-kun."

"But the motive?" Ami pressed.

"What's Ryu's motive?" Kyu insisted.

"Maybe he's thinking that we shared the Amakusa family fortune." Nanamura stated.

"What do you mean by that?" Moroboshi inquired.

"In obedience to Ryu-sama's father's will, we legally inherited this Seiryuukan Hotel." Nanamura replied. "Maybe Ryu-sama couldn't tolerate that thought."

"It's enough of a motive." Nekoda agreed.

"Amakusa Ryu-kun." the two officers approached the couple. "Will you come with us to the headquarters? We would like to talk with everyone else later. So please stay in this hotel. Well then." he led Ryu off.

"Ryu!" the rest of Q Class gaped and Ami took off after him with Kyu in tow.

"Ryu!" Ami called, causing the teen to turn and Ami threw herself into him. "It'll be alright." she assured, hanging an amulet porch around his neck. "Don't give up. If you have to hide, go to the tree house." she whispered into his ear.

"Do you remember yesterday's promise?" Kyu asked, once Ami released her arrested 'Bonded'.

* * *

In the police car...

"You can restart your life again." Moroboshi noted.

"I'll be bringing you some treats." Nekoda added.

"I'll rather die than go to prison." Ryu swore and swallowed a pill.

"Hey!" Nekoda gasped. "What did you swallow?"

"Could it be poison?" Moroboshi exclaimed. "Hey, wait, stop!" he told the driver. "Throw up, spit it out!" Nekoda pulled Ryu to the road. "Alright! Vomit, vomit for now. Ouch!" he winced when Ryu tossed him over his shoulder and fled into the forest.

"He got us!" Moroboshi cursed, finding the empty capsule tab in the back seat.

* * *

In the waiting hall...

"For Ryu to be a murderer..." Kazuma mused.

"There's got to be a mistake!" Ami insisted. "There should be a trick of some sort."

"Like..." Kyu prodded.

"That champagne tower in front of that frog door." Kazuma surmised. "Hey Kyu, what is it?"

"The champagne that spilled on the floor..." Kyu replied. "And the other is... I don't know..."

"What the heck?" Kazuma muttered. "Is that the only thing you know?"

"Then what other clue do we have?" Kyu retorted.

"Hey," Kinta cut in. "What's the point in fighting?"

"For now, I'll contact Nanami-sensei regarding Ryu." Ami concluded.

"Ami, how can you remain so calm?" Megu asked. "Isn't Ryu your..."

"'I choose to believe in the one I gave my heart to.'" Ami repeated her quote. "I _know_ he didn't kill anyone. That's why, all the more I can't fall here." with that, she went off to make her call.

"I'll go with you." Kinta offered, taking off after the team leader.

"Kamiya-san." Kyu ran over to the receptionist when he noticed the camera.

"Yes?" Kamiya blinked.

"Did you find out who plucked the feathers from the scroll painting?" Kyu asked.

"There was nothing on the video." Kamiya replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Kyu inquired.

"Our security cameras are quite old." Kamiya answered. "So we have to change the tape every 24 hours. We have to stop the tape for 10 minutes in order to get the recorded video."

"Are you saying that the culprit used that 10 minute space?" Megu concluded.

"I can't think of anything aside from that." Kamiya agreed.

"Who knows about that?" Kyu asked.

"Most likely, Ryu-sama and Ami-sama know about it, too." Kamiya replied.

"I'd like to check out." Nanamura requested.

"Ok."Kamiya went back to the reception desk.

"But the officer said don't leave here." Kazuma pointed out.

"A hotel that had a murder is too creepy to stay in." Nanamura replied. "I've reserved a cottage nearby."

* * *

Outside...

"Nanamura-san!" Kyu called, taking off after Nanamura. "That looks heavy, I'll help you."

"Really?" Nanamura blinked. "Thanks you."

"This is quite a lot for a one night stay." Kyu noted, heaving the luggage into the boot.

"This much is natural for a woman." Nanamura pointed out. "What we wear in the afternoon is different from the evening."

"What's inside those 3 pots?" Kyu asked, noticing the thermal bottles.

"Rooibos tea, Pu-erh tea and Genpicha." Nanamura replied. "For the sake of beauty, I never fail to drink them."

"That's why you're pretty." Kyu nodded.

"Thank you." Nanamura remarked. "I'm happy even though you're only flattering me."

"It's not flattery." Kyu corrected.

"You have," Nanamura flirted. "A cute face. Come over." she handed him a card that stated the address of her cottage.

"Madara Country Cottage." Kyu looked at the card.

"What's wrong?" Megu asked as she and Kazuma ran out.

"Huh?" Kyu blinked. "Ah, nothing."

"Nanamura-san's leg is like that because of the late Udo-san." Megu stated.

"Eh?" the two boys echoed.

"Last night, I accidentally overheard Benishiro-san saying that." Megu replied. "She had to give up her dream of becoming an actress because of that."

"Bad news!" Kinta reported. "Ryu escaped while he was being conveyed."

"Eh?" the group gasped.

"The police is currently searching for him in the forest." Ami added. "That idiot, what was he thinking?"

"What did Nanami-sensei say?" Megu asked.

"Cooperate with the police and run after Ryu." Ami hissed, tightening her fist.

"He wants us to catch Ryu?" Kyu echoed in disbelief.

"I don't think Ryu's the culprit too." Kinta commented. "But then, why did he run away? If he really didn't do anything, then face them without shame. Hey, Kyu!" he stopped the teen in his tracks. "Where are you going?"

"Let's prove Ryu's innocence." Kyu proposed.

With a nod of agreement, the rest of Q Class took off.

"As expected of Q Class." Yurie mused, the vehicle driving into the walkway. "They're acting according to your calculations. There's no need for you to meddle." she told Cerberus.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Ryu had arrived outside Nanamura's cottage, the rest of Q class arriving moments later, with Moroboshi and Nekoda in tow.

"Hey!" Moroboshi called as he and Nekoda stepped out of their vehicle. "Why are you here?"

"Why are you, Moroboshi-san?" Kyu inquired.

"Well, 30 minutes ago, Nanamura Miki reported to the police, she said she saw Amakusa Ryu at a coffee shop. She brought some coffee beans that were sold by weight, after placing it in a bag, she went around the store, and then Amakusa peeked into the bag she brought."

"We were thinking of getting more information about that." Nekoda added.

"Let's go." Moroboshi told his subordinate.

"Ok." Nekoda nodded and the two entered the house, followed by the rest of Q Class.

"Nanamura-san!" Moroboshi rang the doorbell. "Excuse us! This is the police. Nanamura-san." he called, after finding the door was unlocked. "Nanamura-san." the group entered the kitchen. "Nanamura-san." the group then went up to the second floor. "This is the police. Nanamura-san, this is the pol..." he stopped in mid-sentence when he found Nanamura strangled on the bed.

"She's dead." Nekoda reported, after feeling for a pulse.

"Ryu!" Ami called, looking downstairs and seeing her 'Bonded' about to exit the house.

"Hey!" Kinta hollered and took off after the runaway teen. "Ryu!" he leapt off the pavilion, only to find Ryu was nowhere to be seen.

"This is urgent!" Nekoda barked.

"Amakusa Ryu murdered someone again and has escaped." Moroboshi informed into his walkie-talkie.

* * *

In the Mission Room...

"There are now 2 victims." Nanami-sensei reported, putting down the phone. "The situation is becoming more and more disadvantageous for Amakusa."

"It's not like it's certain that he's the culprit." Dan-sensei pointed out.

"But," Nanami-sensei protested. "The actions of Amakusa are too abnormal. Could he have been... brainwashed by Pluto? Dan-sensei, why are you going that far in believing Amakusa Ryu? What in the world happened with King Hades and you?"

"In the past, I betrayed Hoshihiko." Dan-sensei replied. "Kouko Hoshihiko is King Hades' real name. It's a story in the past, we were only 16. We were rivals and the best of friends. And one day, his mother's identity was revealed. His mother was the ingenious criminal, Kouko Yurika."

"Kouko Yurika?" Nanami-sensei echoed in shock.

"That's right." Dan-sensei nodded. "After that, he was brutally harassed at school. I earnestly tried to protect him. At that time, a certain incident happened. A student who kept harassing him died in a bombing incident at school."

"Could it have been..." Nanami-sensei gasped.

"I..." Dan-sensei trailed. "Doubted him. Back then, if I could have believed him until the end, he might not have gone down the wrong path. I abandoned Hoshihiko, my best friend."

* * *

In Nanamura's cottage...

"I understand that you want to believe in your friend." Moroboshi told the youngsters. "But this time, the odds are bad."

"Moroboshi-san." Kyu started. "Were you able to confirm Nanamura Miki's tip?"

"Yeah." Moroboshi nodded. "Nanamura Miki really did go to the store and brought coffee beans, according to the store clerk."

"Then, where are the coffee beans?" Ami inquired. "I can't find it even if I looked around."

"That doesn't matter." Moroboshi objected. "Anyway, forensics will come soon. Go back to the hotel. We"'ll help out in the investigation and go mountain hunting."

"Ok." Nekoda nodded and the two detectives went off.

"With this, the evidence against Ryu is getting intense." Kazuma voiced.

"I refuse to believe this!" Ami insisted hotly. "This _has_ to be a trap!"

"Huh?" Kyu blinked, noticing the 3 thermal pots in the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Kyu?" Megu asked.

"Nanamura-san had too much baggage for one night." Kyu remarked. "And I thought it was weird for her to carry 3 stainless pots. So I asked what was inside. And she said,"

_

* * *

Flashback_

"_Rooibos tea, Pu-erh tea and Genpicha." Nanamura replied._

* * *

"Well, it's it natural for a woman to use for beauty purposes?" Megu wondered.

"All her baggage were left unopened." Kyu stated. "Except for these stainless pots that were washed already. Isn't that unnatural?"

"Maybe she didn't want the smell to stay?" Kinta suggested.

"Then, smell it." Ami handed a bottle to Kinta after she sniffed it.

"There's no smell at all." Kinta remarked, the others having taking a sniff.

"That's weird." Megu agreed. "When you put tea in this kind of pot, it's hard to take the odor out even if you wash it."

"So that means," Kazuma mused.

"Most likely, what's inside those pots were something odorless." Kyu surmised.

"But why would Nanamura-san lie about that?" Kazuma questioned.

"I don't know yet." Kyu admitted. "But, the key to solving this case;'s mystery, may be in that answer."

"There's one more person who had a grudge against Nanamura-san." Megu suddenly said.

* * *

At the reception of the Seiryuukan Hotel...

"Benishiro Tsubaki-sama came back awhile ago, but she left again." Kamiya answered.

"Thank you very much." Kyu replied.

"No problem." Kamiya noted.

"She was really mad at the relationship between her husband Benishiro-san and Nanamura-san." Megu stated after Kamiya was out of earshot. "It's enough motive for a murder."

"Alright." Kazuma stated, having locked onto Tsubaki on his laptop. "I was able to catch Benishiro Tsubaki's cellphone signal via GPS."

"Where is she right now?" Kinta asked.

"She's moving up a pathway near the hotel." Kazuma replied.

"Alright, let's go around that area." Ami gave the instruction.

"Yeah." Kyu nodded the the group headed out.

* * *

In the forest...

Ryu was looking over the strangled corpse of Tsubaki. Hearing footsteps drawing near, he left the scene. Yurie then walked towards the corpse, planting a tape recorder into Tsubaki's handbag.

"Wait a minute." Kazuma voiced, stopping the group. "It should be around this area." he reconsulted his laptop.

"Look at that!" Ami pointed to the corpse in the clearing.

"Tsubaki-san..." Kyu gasped and Kinta took out the tape recorder and played the record.

"He might have realized that..." Nanamura's voice sounded. "You've received this threat too, right?"

"About the fact that we killed his father, he found out so he's going to take revenge?" Benishiro's voice was next. "And that because we threatened the girl's mother to force the mother to take the daughter and leave?"

"But that was supposed to be a secret among the four of us." Tsubaki was next.

"Those four..." Ami gasped in realization. "Killed Takumi-ouji-sama and forced me and mother to leave?"

"If that's so, this series of murders will look like Ryu's revenge." Kazuma concluded.

"It's true." Kinta agreed. "There's no other motive that's as disadvantageous as this."

"At this rate," Megu added. "They'll think Ryu really is the culprit."

"We have to find a clue." Ami insisted.

"If the motive for the serial murder is related to Ryu's father's death, I'm sure Benishiro-san's life will be targeted." Kinta surmised.

"Wait, Benishiro-san had enough motive to kill Tsubaki-san, too." Megu interjected.

"Anyway, let's see Benishiro." Kinta suggested.

* * *

In his room in the Seiryuukan Hotel...

"Benishiro-san?" Kyu asked outside the door when Benishiro was about to cut the coffee bag open. "Are you there? Benishiro-san!"

"Everyone's here." Benishiro opened the door. "What's wrong?"

"We need to talk to you about something important." Kyu requested.

"Eh?" Benishiro echoed.

"The truth is..." Kyu started.

"Wait a minute." Benishiro cut him off. "Come in." he let the teens into his room. "Let's drink coffee and calm down."

"Excuse us." Kyu remarked, the group entering.

"Even more so if it's an important matter." Benishiro added, cutting open the coffee bag.

"Even if you drink coffee, I don't think you'll be able to calm down." Kazuma remarked as Benishiro poured the coffee beans into the coffee maker and prepared the beverage.

"Eh?" Benishiro echoed.

"Your wife, Tsubaki-san's body was found awhile ago." Kyu stated.

"Tsubaki is...?" Benishiro gasped.

"The cause of death is most likely strangulation." Ami added.

"No way!" Benishiro remarked. "Tsubaki!" he sank to his knees. "Someone as kind and angelic like her has... could it be... Ryu-sama has once again..."

"We can't say anything about it yet." Ami quickly intervened. "It's just that we found something interesting in your wife's bag."

Kinta took out the recorder and played the record.

"I wonder why..." Benishiro started, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "I don't remember at all."

"Was it simply an insurance to protect herself?" Kinta pressed. "Or..."

"Was it to shake everyone else?" Ami finished.

"Whichever it is, with this, the crime you've committed, will be made public." Kinta remarked as Benishiro drank the beverage.

"I see." Benishiro noted. "But that's..." he laughed. "Just a joke. No, no." he corrected. "That kind of joke happens, right?"

"I don't think so." Megu commented.

"Even if it is a joke, how would you explain the fact that everyone except you, is dead?" Kinta pressed.

"That is..." Benishiro remarked. "I'm sorry." he added, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "I'm not feeling too well. Excuse me while I go to the toilet."

"He's obviously feigning innocence." Megu remarked. "He's lying for sure."

"When he heard that Tsubaki-san died, and he became sad, that's definitely a lie." Kyu agreed.

"To say it was a joke, what a cruel lie." Kinta added.

"If so..." Kazuma trailed when a 'thump' was heard in the washroom and the group hurried over.

"Benishiro-san!" Kinta called. "Please open up! Benishiro-san!"

"You can go outside from a window in this toilet." Kazuma supplied.

"Damn!" Kinta cursed and the boys headed out.

Ami and Megu stopped in their tracks and Megu opened the washroom door as Benishiro stumbled out.

Megu was pinned onto the bed by Benishiro's corpse and she screamed. "Kinta, help me!"

"Get away, you liar." Kinta pulled Benishiro off Megu.

"Benishiro-san?" Kyu blinked when Benishiro's body shook and went limp on the sofa. "He's playing dead, right?"

"Oh no." Kinta corrected after he checked for a pulse. "He's dead."

"He wasn't lying when he said he wasn't feeling well." Kazuma noted.

"Could it be..." Ami hurried over the the coffee bag. "Just as I thought." she remarked, seeing the feathers on top of the coffee beans.

"This is..." Kyu exclaimed.

In the Mission Room...

Dan-sensei vomited out blood and fainted on the ground.

* * *

In Benishiro's room in the Seiryuukan Hotel...

"Hey, where's Benishiro Kyousuke?" Moroboshi asked, entering the room. "With this," he added, after Nekoda felt for a pulse. "All the past personnel of the Amakusa Family have died."

"Moroboshi-san." Ami started. "There's a black feather in this coffee pack. It might be the poisoned feather that was stolen from the scroll painting at the Seiryuukan Hotel."

"Someone placed it in the coffee pack." Kazuma added.

"But he cut the seal right in front of us." Kinta pointed out.

"This is..." Moroboshi gasped. "Nekoda!"

"Yes?" Nekoda went over.

"What's the name of the store and the brand of the coffee that Nanamura Miki brought?" Moroboshi asked.

"Ah, ok." Nekoda checked his notes. " Umm, well... eh, the name of the store is Tanacafe. And the brand is Mokamatari."

"It's finally decided, huh?" Moroboshi concluded. "Unfortunately, the culprit is Amakusa Ryu after all. Take a look at this pack. At the store, it was sealed using thermal heat. And there's no traces of it being opened after that. In short, only three people could've placed the poison here. The store clerk who sealed this, Nanamura Miki and the one who looked inside the open bag left at the cart, according to Nanamura Miki's testimony, Amakusa Ryu. "

"The store clerk is out of the question." Nekoda surmised. "Nanamura Miki is already dead. If so, the only possible culprit is..."

"Amakusa Ryu, only." Moroboshi finished.

"Hello?" Nekoda took the call. "Eh? Really? Moroboshi-san, there's a report that Amakusa Ryu was seen around this vicinity."

"What?" Moroboshi gasped.

"The police is running after him in full force." Nekoda added.

* * *

In the forest...

Ryu was fleeing along a side road, a touch-light in hand to shine his way. Left with no choice, he took refuge behind a house, turning off the touch-light as the police and the hounds ran down the path. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he removed the amulet pouch from his neck and a dried grass-woven ring fell into his hand.

_I understand, Ami._ He nodded, recalling the promise he had sworn to her upon the ring when they were younger. Replacing the ring back into the pouch, he headed off for the tree house.

* * *

In their shared room in the Seiryuukan Hotel...

"It's no good!" Kyu whined. "I don't know. If I can just solve the champagne tower mystery."

"By the way, Megu." Kinta started. "When he found the first body, how did Ryu look?"

"How did he..." Megu trailed. "I have never seen such a scary Ryu. Of course, I believe in Ryu, too! But how can we prove Ryu's innocence?"

"Could it be..." Kyu muttered. "Ryu..."

* * *

In her shared room with Ryu..

With the Amakusa-emblemed 'Bond Ring' between her palms, Ami prayed.

* * *

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.


	11. Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Eleven

SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 10 goes up. This is Chapter 11, marking the end of this fic and only one review. No one else is reading this fic! *Sob, sob, wails*

Tailmon (from 'Digital Light of Hope' and her current muse): Great, now you non-reviewing readers made her cry. Leave your comments in your review, or else... (Warp-Digivolves into Magnadramon and fires a stream of 'Fire Tornado' at the non-reviewing readers)

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

Chapter 11: Tantei Gakuen Q: Episode Eleven

* * *

In the forest...

Ryu was _still_ being chased by his pursuers on a stone track and he took off deeper into the forest towards the tree house.

* * *

In their shared room...

"Dan-sensei collapsed?" Kinta echoed when Ami entered their room to inform them, with Nanami-sensei still on the line.

"Eh?" Kyu gasped.

* * *

In the hospital...

"For now, his condition is stable." Nanami-sensei replied. "But he hasn't gained consciousness. About Amakusa's case, I'm leaving it to you guys."

* * *

Deeper in the forest...

King Hades was waiting for his grandson in a plateau of standing stone Buddha statues.

The exhausted Ryu was drawn to the plateau by the sound of a stone hammering against a rock. "Grandfather..." he blinked at his awaiting grandfather.

"I've come to pick you up." King Hades replied. "Looks like you're being chased."

"I don't need your help." Ryu insisted.

"I've let you done whatever you want until now." King Hades stated. "But this matter is too much for you to handle. You'll get caught eventually. Even if you manage to escape, someone treated like a criminal has no place to go back to. Dan Detective Company is cooperating with the police too. They're planning to chase you. How does it feel to have your friends chase you as a criminal? Decades ago," he continued. "I had the same experience as you."

"Eh?" Ryu gasped.

"I had a best friend and we acknowledged each other." King Hades added. "But I had a secret, my mother was a major criminal. And when it was known that I was a criminal's child, that friend kept his distance as expected. I was betrayed and abandoned. Do you know who that friend was? Dan Morihiko, your teacher."

"Dan-sensei was?" Ryu echoed.

"But right now, I'm thankful for that betrayal" King Hades added. "If it wasn't for that, there wouldn't be a King Hades. The same fate is forcefully pulsating and flowing inside you. It's enough, right?" he asked. "That girl betrayed you once, what's saying she won't do so again? You're coming with me. You're my successor after all." standing up, he revealed his pendent, invoking his hypnosis on Ryu. "It's enough to just accept your own fate. Come..." he raised his arms.

The hypnotized Ryu then accepted his hand and allowed King Hades to embrace him.

"Ryu..." King Hades voiced. "I'd like to ask you for a favor. It's something very simple. Set a trap for Q Class. They probably won't believe your words anymore because they're harboring doubt take advantage of their hearts and control them."

"I understand, grandfather." Ryu smirked.

* * *

The next day...

"Because of the content found in this IC recorder, we've found the motive." Nekoda informed the rest of Q Class.

"Amakusa Ryu has killed the four of them in order to avenge his father." Moroboshi concluded.

"It's just a matter of time that Amakusa gets caught." Nekoda added.

"Go home already." Moroboshi advised. "Yeah, even if you stay here, you'll only get hurt."

"Ami..." Kyu looked at their devastated team leader.

"What now?" Megu asked.

"Ami!" Kazuma shouted.

"Ami!" Kinta implored.

"Ami!" Megu urged.

"I won't give up." Ami swore, her grip on her 'Bond Ring' tightening.

"Guys." Kyu turned to the rest. "Let's calmly think about this again. It's true that there's a lot of circumstantial evidence against Ryu. But, no one saw the actual crime. If we give up searching for the truth because we're scared of the answer, then we're just bending in to wicked intentions. I will _never_ give up. If a detective gives up, the case will remain unsolved. Let's reanalyze the case from the very beginning."

* * *

At the reception of the Seiryuukan Hotel...

"About the 4 victims?" Kamiya echoed.

"Yes." Ami nodded.

"The truth is there were management problems in this hotel." Kamiya admitted. "Udo-san borrowed money from Benishiro-san so he was surviving somehow. But suddenly, repayment was being demanded."

"Maybe Benishiro is trying to usurp this hotel." Kinta reasoned.

"While drinking, he'd always lost his temper and say that Benishiro-san tricked him." Kamiya added.

"It means that there's a vector of hatred between each of the 4 victims." Megu commented.

"Nanamura-san towards Udo-san who crushed her dreams, Tsubaki-san towards Nanamura-san who stole her husband, Benishiro-san towards Tsubaki-san who won't divorce him. And lastly, Udo-san who had a deep grudge against Benishiro-san who was trying to usurp the hotel." Ami listed. "It's normal to think that this vector has something to do with this case, right?"

"On the contrary, it would be strange if that were the case." Kazuma pointed out.

"Why would that be strange?" Kinta asked.

"Because Benishiro-san who was hated by Udo-san died last, right?" Kazuma reminded. "Udo-san died during the first incident, so he can't possibly kill Benishiro-san."

"The dead can't murder after all." Kinta mused. "If that's the case, the culprit..."

"Can only be Ryu." Kazuma finished. "Is what the police would think, right?" he corrected himself when he saw Ami's cold glare.

"Ah!" Ami blinked, reading the email that just came into her cellphone. "A message from Ryu. Today at 5:00 pm, I'll be waiting in the hall. Ryu."

"What will we do?" Kyu asked their team leader.

"Will we obey Nanami-sensei's orders?" Kinta wondered.

"No." Ami made the decision. "Let's go by ourselves."

"Let's hear the truth from Ryu's lips." Kyu agreed.

* * *

Later in the main hall...

"Ryu!" Ami started, the awaiting group approached the last member of Q Class as he entered via the snail door.

"Looks like you came without letting the police know." Ryu noted.

"Yeah." Ami nodded.

"Ryu," Kinta stated. "Why do you keep running away?"

"Obviously, because I'm being chased as a murderer." Ryu replied.

"If you really are innocent, then just obey the police and explain, right?" Kinta pointed out.

"If I say I didn't do it, will you really believe me?" Ryu asked.

"Of course!" Kazuma replied. "Because you are part of Q Class and..."

"Do you really believe that I'm your friend?" Ryu pressed. "Can you look me in the eye and say that you didn't doubt me even for a bit?"

"That's..." Kazuma stammered.

"Ryu," Megu voiced. "Truth to be told, many times, I've thought that you're probably the culprit. I couldn't forget your scary expression when I saw you at the crime scene. But you know, Ami and Kyu were different. They believed in you from the very beginning as they tried to search for the truth. They pulled us on, saying we shouldn't give up. That's why you, too, should tell the truth."

"Ryu," Kyu added. "I was simply fulfilling my promise."

"There's someone I'd like you all to meet." Ryu smirked. "Grandfather." he looked over at the frog door.

"King... Hades..." Kyu gasped as King Hades entered.

"Those eyes..." King Hades looked at Ami. "You truly are Black's protege. Good job on getting this far." he told the group. "Especially Kyu-kun. Your ability closely resembles your late father, Renjou Satoru. Do you know the legend concerning this room?" he asked, both grandfather and grandson circling the group. "If you open the Snail and Frog door at the same time, you can touch the imperial wrath of the dragon. This is a trap set by Ryu's father, Takumi. When both doors of this hall are opened, the moment they're closed again, the trap will be activated." with that, both grandfather and grandson shut the Frog and Snail doors respectively.

"The trap was activated." Ami gasped as the clock chimed.

"Ryu!" the group hurried over the the Snail door.

"It's for your own good if you don't open the doors carelessly." Ryu warned. "One of these two doors us incorrect."

"What do you mean, Ryu?" Kyu asked.

"If you open the right door, the trap will be deactivated." Ryu added. "But if you open the wrong door, this Seiryuukan Hotel will be enveloped in fire. Kyu, Ami." he looked over at the two. "Would you like to try opening this snail door? It's best if you don't." he chuckled. "This is the incorrect door. The moment you open it, your bodies will be covered in flames. Will you believe my words? There are 3 minutes left. Decide before then."

"I understand, anata." Ami smiled in realization as Ryu walked off to rejoin his grandfather.

"Hey, Ryu!" Kinta hollered. "Wait a minute! Hey! Dang..." he cursed, as he, Megu and Kazuma split off to find a way out. "Open the wrong door and we'll be covered in flames. You must be kidding!"

"Which is it?" Megu panicked. "Which should we open?"

"Ami, Kyu, what now?" Kazuma looked at the two musing teens.

"This is..." Ami frowned, picking up a glass shard.

"A glass fragment." Kyu finished. "I see!" he realized, making the connection.

"That's how it is!" Ami, too, realized the same thing.

"What are you calmly analyzing for?" Megu fumed.

"We've solved all the mysteries." Ami concluded.

"Bot the mysteries of the missing suspect of the serial crime and the murder trick that happened here.." Kyu nodded in agreement.

"Really?" Megu gasped.

"This is bad." Kinta stated, as the countdown continued. "There's no time left."

"Don't worry." Ami assured. "Ryu has already given us the answer." she added, and opened the...

* * *

In the forest...

"Your psychological tactics were wonderful." King Hades remarked. "You went to the trouble of telling them the truth. But for their current selves, they couldn't possibly believe your words. They'll fall into chaos and bring calamity upon themselves. There's nothing easier to control than a heart that's wallowing in fear."

"Do you think that I'm the culprit behind the Seiryuukan murder case?" Ryu inquired.

"Then let me ask, did you kill the 4 of them?" King Hades posted a question.

"I didn't do it." Ryu replied.

"I'll believe you." King Hades noted.

"Thank you very much." Ryu answered and turned, both grandfather and grandson seeing smoke billowing out from the Seiryuukan Hotel's direction. "Did they open the wrong door? Or did they run out of time? You're right, grandfather." he turned to King Hades. "Human beings are foolish animals." and took his grandfather's hand.

* * *

In a stone chapel...

King Hades led Ryu into the headquarters of Pluto.

"Welcome home, Ryu-sama." Yurie greeted.

"This is your home." King Hades added. "All murder plans are stored in here. I'm sure you can put everything in your head."

* * *

In the vehicle...

"The fire at Seiryuukan didn't occur." Cerberus reported.

* * *

In the chapel...

"What do you mean?" Yurie asked.

* * *

In the vehicle...

"The plan may be going towards an unwanted direction." Cerberus answered. "I'll continue to become a bystander until the end."

* * *

In the chapel...

"Hades-sama..." Yurie came into the church. "It seems like there's no fire at the Seiryuukan."

"What?" King Hades echoed.

"Let's go back to the hotel again." Ryu suggested. "If we let Q Class and Guardian Mercury go, eventually they'll become a threat to Pluto. The earlier troublesome spouts are plucked, the better. I have a plan."

"Ok." King Hades nodded.

* * *

In the hospital...

"Hello?" Nanami-sensei took the call. "You... how did you know where we are?"

"Nanami," Dan-sensei removed his oxygen mask.

"Sensei..." Nanami-sensei blinked as Dan-sensei reached out.

"Give it to me." Dan-sensei requested. "Hello?" he took the receiver. "I understand. I'll believe in you."

* * *

At the main hall of the Seiryuukan Hotel...

Both grandfather and grandson entered via the frog door.

"It looks like the hotel is completely empty." Ryu noted.

"King Hades." Ami declared, the rest of Q Class entering the room via the open door.

"We've been waiting for you to arrive." Kyu added. "Ryu," he looked at his best friend.

"Thank you, anata." Ami smiled at her lover.

"Ami, Kyu." Ryu started, taking his place between them. "You believed in me."

"Ryu!" King Hades started as the two nodded.

"Grandfather, you thought I was hypnotized and thought that I was going to betray Q Class, right?" Ryu stated. "In order to resist the devil's whisper, I've practiced the battle with you in my head. I've trained my mind so I won't give in to hypnotism. You were the one who devised these murder plans. I became sure of that the moment I looked into your eyes. I acted like I was hypnotized because I was looking for a chance to find the truth."

"Ryu..." Megu breathed.

"Ryu is Ryu after all." Kazuma was relieved.

"Making us worry..." Kinta chided.

"I'm sorry." Megu apologized. "For doubting you. I'm really sorry."

"I'm sorry for scaring you." Ryu corrected. "But there was no other way."

"Ryu." King Hades started. "Are you saying that you were prepared to risk your friends' lives for a dangerous bet?"

"If something happens to them," Ryu replied. "Even I can't live. But Ami and Kyu wouldn't break their promises. So I was sure that they would escape from the trap according to my instructions." taking Ami's hand, he continued. "Grandfather, it's your defeat. Please admit your sins."

"Ryu," King Hades remarked, taking a seat by the table. "Are you trying to push the blame on me?"

"King Hades." Kyu started. "Unfortunately, we're already solved the tricks you've set up."

"Up until now, we've been deceived by your plans." Ami admitted. "But from now on, Q Class is going to fight back!"

"Ryu became a suspect because this room's frog door was blocked by the champagne tower during the murder of Udo-san." Kyu took over. "By looking at the security camera, the only ones who entered this room, through the Snail door, thought to be the only entrance, would be the victim Udo-san and Ryu. But the truth is, there's a way to enter through the Frog door which was blocked by the unstable champagne tower. The culprit entered with one forceful push, then collected the broken glasses. And then, new glasses were brought in and a new Champagne Tower was rebuilt."

"And when the culprit goes outside?" King Hades inquired.

"The culprit pulled the table with a wire through the small gap of the door." Ami replied.

"If you do that, the glass will break." King Hades reminded.

"Yes." Ami agreed. "That's why the glasses were frozen using liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen, a cryogenic liquid, was at a -196 degrees. If you pour it with the champagne, it'll solidify like ice. By moving the champagne tower, the culprit finished the sealed room and was able to kill Udo-san. On the day of the crime, the champagne that spilled on the floor melted when the liquid nitrogen evaporated and, Kyu and I realized this trick when I found a piece of glass that was left behind in this room. In short, King Hades, it's because you locked us up. Oh the irony is practically dripping off this one. " she smirked.

"So, are you saying that I'm the culprit?"King Hades asked.

"No." Kyu replied. "You'll never directly stain your hands. The real culprit is someone else. A pitiful group of people controlled by you. The one who killed the first victim, Udo-san, was Nanamura Miki-san. She hid the liquid nitrogen in the pots she brought and used it for her crime. That's why the pots that supposedly contained tea were odorless."

"Nanamura-san held a grudge against Udo-san because her leg became disabled." Megu added.

"You took advantage of that grudge and hypnotized her." Ami concluded.

"The one who killed Nanamura-san was Benishiro Tsubaki-san." Kazuma remarked. "Tsubaki-san hated Nanamura-san who was her husband's mistress."

"And the one who kill Benishiro Tsubaki was Benishiro Kyousuke." Kinta continued. "He was hostile against Tsubaki-san who wouldn't agree to the divorce."

"Then, what about Benishiro, the last victim?" King Hades asked. "Who killed him?"

"It was the first victim, Udo-san." Ami replied. "Udo-san held a grudge against Benishiro-san who was trying to usurp the hotel. The day before the first crime, the feather from the hanging scroll was stolen. But, that was Udo-san playing a charade. It was just a play. Udo-san used the time when the security camera's tape was being changed to steal the feathers. Because he knew that Benishiro-san was a coffee lover, he placed the feathers in the pack, sealed it and left it in Benishiro-san's room. In short, it's a chain of murders that was set-up to look like a serial murder case. All 4 victims had a motive to kill. After committing each of their crime, they were killed by someone else, a linked murder. And, the one who gave them the murder plans, then controlled them using hypnosis, was you, King Hades."

"If you guide them properly, you can control people." Ryu stated. "Grandfather, that's your pet theory, right?"

"So what?" King Hades taunted.

"Without Ryu knowing anything, hasn't this dreadful plan been in motion when Ryu and I still lived in this Seiryuukan Hotel?" Ami asked. "7 years ago, you controlled the 4 employees of the Amakusa household with hypnosis, making them kill Takumi-ouji-sama, while making it look like a suicide. Then, using threats against my life, they forced my mother and I out so as to make their usurpation of the Amakusa fortune easier."

"Then when I who started questioning my father's death, gathered Udo-san and the others, and came to this Seiryuukan Hotel in order to find out the truth." Ryu added. "I've never thought Q Class would be chasing me as a criminal. I was completely in the palm of your hands."

"King Hades." Ami started. "You're a dreadful person. In the crevices of people's hearts, you've planted a seed of hatred, even making them kill each other. Playing around with people's lives as if it was a game, we will never forgive you for that."

"Tell me." King Hades stated. "Did you really believe Ryu?"

"Yes." Kyu replied.

"Ryu won't break his promise, I was sure of that." Ami added. "To Kyu or me."

"What kind of promise was that?" King Hades asked.

"That there'll be no lies between the two of us." was Kyu's simple answer. "That's all."

"As long as our hearts are entwined, we can overcome _any_ obstacle between us." Ami added.

"I see." King Hades noted, seeing the silent exchange between Ryu, Kyu and Ami. "An honest and stupid deed. "Ryu, do you know what I was trying to give you? It's despair. In the past, I was betrayed by my best friend and experienced despair. So if I give you despair too, I thought you'd become my successor on your own will. But that foolish honesty and more importantly, that deep-rooted love, saved you from the depths of despair, huh?"

"In the midst of darkness, I've been fighting my fate." Ryu remarked. "And the ones who shined a light of hope for me was Q Class. As long as that light is there, I will never tread along the wrong path."

"In the heart of every person, there's a seed of hatred." King Hades pointed out. "Look at this world, people everywhere are killing endlessly, right? Human beings are naturally that kind of animal. But still, all of you, will not fall into despair, right?"

"It's true that people's hearts are incomplete and probably weak." Ami started. "But they're not alone. If they can trust someone else from the bottom of their hearts, I'm sure someone else will believe and watch over them. You went down the evil path, not because you were betrayed by your best friend, but because you yourself, were entranced by evil. The one who's really weak, is you who weren't able to fully believe someone. From now on, we'll believe in the light within people's hearts."

"It's your defeat." Dan-sensei announced from the open door.

"Dan-sensei!" the teens moved aside to allow Dan-sensei through.

"From Amakusa's information, we were able to find Pluto's headquarters." Nanami-sensei added. "The police is on its way."

"This is the end for you too." Dan-sensei remarked. "Nanami."

"Yes?" Nanami-sensei asked.

"Take everyone and go ahead." Dan-sensei requested.

"But Dan-sensei..." Nanami-sensei protested.

"Will you allow us to talk privately?" Dan-sensei inquired.

"Let's trust Sensei." Nanami-sensei told the teens. "Let's go."

With everyone else out of earshot, the two former best friends faced other.

* * *

Outside the Seiryuukan Hotel...

"Let's go." Nanami-sensei led the teens out. "Hurry. You guys." he added, noticing Cerberus in the bushes. "Wait here for a bit."

"Nanami-sensei?" Kyu blinked as Nanami-sensei took off.

"If he reopens his injuries, I swear I'm going to kill him." Ami muttered.

* * *

In the forest...

"Were you frantically trying to escape by yourself?" Nanami-sensei cornered his arch nemesis.

"How's your leg?" Cerberus asked.

"Everytime I remember your hideous face, it aches." Nanami-sensei replied.

"Eh?" Cerberus echoed. "Am I hideous?"

"You're..." Nanami-sensei started. "Tone-deaf, right?"

In response, Cerberus tried to kick Nanami-sensei on the injured thigh, to which Nanami-sensei grabbed the foot before it made contact. Holding Cerberus in place, Nanami-sensei leveled a punch across Cerberus's face, knocking a couple of teeth off.

"Ouch!" Nanami-sensei winced when his injury started acting up. "Doesn't your face look a little better now?"

"Let's postpone the continuation of this fight until our injuries heal." Cerberus muttered.

"Huh?" Nanami-sensei blinked.

Picking up his fallen teeth, Cerberus fled.

"Serves you right." Nanami-sensei snorted.

* * *

At the main hall of the Seiryuukan Hotel...

"I've always believed that it was my mission to make you repent, even at the cost of this life." Dan-sensei stated. "I will hold on to my belief until the end."

"Don't be conceited." King Hades remarked. "I have no interest in your trivial ideals. The only thing that attracts me is the darkness in people's hearts. Dan, do you know what I consider the most beautiful thing? That is," he answered his own question. "Death."

And right before Dan-sensei, he swallowed a capsule of poison. Getting up, he collapsed to the floor and died, seconds later.

"Idiot." Dan-sensei muttered over his former friend's corpse.

* * *

In the chapel...

"Please sleep well, Hades-sama." Yurie looked at the pendent between her palms as the sirens of the police cars came closer.

* * *

Outside the Seiryuukan Hotel...

Nanami-sensei!" Kyu exclaimed when Nanami-sensei hobbled back the group.

"Where's Dan-sensei?" Nanami-sensei asked.

"He hasn't..." Ami whispered. "Come back yet."

"He's late." Kyu gasped. "He's too late."

* * *

At the main hall of the Seiryuukan Hotel...

The camera panned in to the pool of blood on the floor and followed the trail of blood to Dan-sensei's fallen body at the corridor.

* * *

In the Mission Room, much later...

"And so, the heavy curtain of the Seiryuukan murder, the most difficult case that tortured Q Class, has finally gone down, along with the destruction of of Pluto and the criminal genius, King Hades." Megu narrated as the group crowded around a newspaper stating the reinvestigation of Amakusa Takumi's suicide due to the Seiryuukan murder case.

"At least we've helped your father a little." Kyu noted.

"I'm sure your father's thankful for you." Kinta agreed.

"Yeah." Ryu concurred. "I feel like I've been set free."

"Alright." Megu declared. "Then to cheer Ryu up, let's go have fun at the karaoke right now! Yeah!" causing everyone else to facefault.

"That's it, someone check her for a fever." Ami joked. "She's gone bonkers."

"Megu, why do you come up with something like that?" Kazuma chided.

"You're acting so happy when we're all worried here." Kinta added. "Don't you understand Ryu's male soul?"

"I don' care about such a tiresome thing." Megu complained. "We're going, right?"

"Megu has a really nice personality." Kyu whispered into Ryu's ear.

"Eh?" Megu came between them. "Did you say something?"

"I didn't say anything." Kyu pulled away. "Sharp ears..." he muttered.

"You said something!" Megu insisted.

"I was thinking that you're strong." Kyu defended.

"You two argue like an old married couple." Ami smirked.

"Guys," Nanami-sensei cut off all protestations. "What are you fussing about?"

"Dan-sensei!" Ami blinked, the team standing at attention when Nanami-sensei wheeled Dan-sensei in.

"Are you okay already?" Kyu asked.

"Yeah." Dan-sensei nodded. "Sorry for making you worry. In this Seiryuukan murder case, you not only solved the case, but you've produced a huge result, and that's annihilating Pluto. This is all because of your work. Especially Renjou Kyu-kun, your reasoning was wonderful."

"Dan-sensei, what did you say?" Kyu gaped.

"Be proud, Renjou Kyu." Nanami-sensei declared.

"Ok." Kyu beamed. "Thank you very much."

"Members of Q Class." Dan-sensei addressed the group. "Evil probably won't disappear from this world. But, our hope will never disappear again. Don't give in to evil. Build a new world with your own hands."

"Yes sir." the group chorused.

* * *

In front of the temple...

"Amakusa-kun." Moroboshi and Nekoda led Ryu aside after their prayers. "We're really very sorry for what happened."

"No, please don't worry about it." Ryu assured.

"Whoa..." Nekoda gushed. "What a kind angel-like boy. Right, Moroboshi-san?"

"Once you become a police detective, visit us anytime." Moroboshi requested.

"Ah, no, that's..." Ryu trailed, looking back at Ami for help, only to find her smirking playfully.

"Traitor." Ryu mouthed and Ami's smirk widened.

"You've helped me a lot." Kinta told Haruka. "Thank you."

"You have a detective's expression now." Haruka noted.

"Eh?" Kyu blinked when Megu grabbed his arm, the six teens heading down the stairs.

"Megu, what's with that very happy look?" Kazuma asked, he and Kinta looking back at Megu's joyous face.

"What are you taking about?" Megu protested. "This is friendship, friendship! Right?" she looked at Kyu.

"Keep telling yourself that, Megu." Ami snickered knowingly.

"Is that so?" Kinta remarked. "How unromantic."

"Megu is appetite over romance after all." Kazuma added.

"What was that, Kazuma?" Megu protested.

"It's a race to the Chanpon restaurant!" Kinta declared.

"Eh?" Megu echoed. "A race? Alright, let's go!"

"Okay, who gave Megu sugar?" Ami kidded as Ryu chuckled beside her.

THE END

* * *

SailorStar9: *Gasps in disbelief* This fic is done, over already? Now that's finished, read and review.


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